


From Italy, With Love

by Browneyesparker



Series: Bughead Stories [7]
Category: Riverdale (TV 2017)
Genre: European Adventure, F/M, Friendship, Gen, Italy, Riverdale, Romance, Slow Burn, Villa Project, bughead - Freeform
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-07-04
Updated: 2017-10-21
Packaged: 2018-11-23 13:16:15
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 11
Words: 20,987
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11403189
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Browneyesparker/pseuds/Browneyesparker
Summary: Betty gets the opportunity of a lifetime when she is chosen to renovate a villa in Italy. She's ready for a new start until her ex-boyfriend shows up at her doorstep to finish his second novel. There's just some things you can't change. Rated T. Bughead.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> The author would like to say that even though this is based on a real life program going on right now in Italy, Names, characters, businesses, places, events and incidents are either the products of the author's imagination or used in a fictitious manner. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, or actual events is purely coincidental. And most Italian phrases and words have been found on Google Translate.

**.**

**Chapter 1**

Betty Cooper stared at the email in disbelief. When she’d submitted her application for a free Italian villa or castle after reading about it on one of the blogs she contributed to. She hadn’t imagined they’d ever choose her. She’d outlined a plan for a bed & breakfast, complete with an optional wine & cheese lunch and Friday night movies in the section it had asked her what she would do to attract tourists.

Getting chosen to live in Italy for nine years and sustain a property had seemed so far-fetched, that she hadn’t even mentioned it to her family or Veronica and Archie and Jughead. As time had gone by, she had almost forgotten she had done it.

Until now. . .

She had a villa in Italy.

Betty read through it a second time. In the back of her mind, she could hear her mother telling her everything that could go wrong. She would probably be a failure and come home ashamed before her nine years were even completed.

She shook her head and checked the time. It was still early morning in Italy. She reached for her cellphone and dialed the number that was listed on the bottom of her message. Somebody picked up after the third ring.

“Ciao!”

“Hello. . . um. . . _ciao_! My name is Elizabeth Cooper, I just got an email saying that I was selected to renovate a villa in Lombardy.”

“Hold on one moment, please while I transfer you to Signore Marino!”

“Thank you,” Betty said, her heart fluttering in anticipation.

“Hello, this is Luca Marino! This is Elizabeth Cooper?” A gentleman with flawless English and an Italian accent asked.

“Betty, you can call me Betty! I just received an email about the castle program you’re doing. Is it a mistake?”

“No. No mistake,” Luca answered. “Out of all the applications we got, yours is one out of one hundred that stood out the most.”

“ _Mine_ stood out the most?”

“Yes.” Luca cleared his throat. “As your email stated, you have been assigned the villa Sogni d’Oro.”

“Right,” Betty said, typing _Sogni d’Oro_ into Google translate. “Sweet dreams.”

“Pardon me, Signora Cooper?”

“The villa. Sogni d’oro means sweet dreams,” Betty replied, blushing. “But you already knew that, of course.”

Luca laughed. “Oh, yes! So, you are coming then?”

Betty looked at the view from her tiny apartment. It was of her neighbor’s fire escape. She hadn’t even thought about breakfast but when she did have it, it would probably be a fruit bar washed down by mediocre coffee. There was really nothing tying her to the United States. She was single and almost 27-years-old. She’d become boring, that was one thing she never wanted to do.

She could write her articles from anywhere.

“Yes,” she answered. “Yes I am. I just have some things to take care of here but I’ll be there well before the deadline. I promise!”

“I am looking forward to meeting and working with you,” Luca said. “Arrivederci, signora!”

“Arrivederci!” Betty echoed as the call ended.

She was going to Italy.

She started making a mental list of things to do and people to tell while she moved around her apartment, getting ready for her day.

She could hardly wait.

**.**

“Are you sure you know what you’re doing?” Alice asked for the umpteenth time at her going away party a few weeks later. “You know there’s a possibility this could fail and you could come home with nothing.”

Betty rolled the red, white and green Haribos that Veronica had ordered especially for the Italian themed party. “Yes, I realize I could fail and come back here with nothing. But there’s also a chance I could succeed. So, I want to try. I don’t want to argue the night before I leave, please try and be supportive of me.”

“I just want what’s best for you,” Alice told her, reaching out to take her hand and squeeze it. “Just know, I’m not going to sit around hoping things don’t work out in Lombardy. In fact, I’ll be here rooting for you to do wonderfully and when your bed & breakfast opens, your father and I will be some of the first people to book a room.”

Betty smiled, her mother had been working harder on their relationship and to be supportive of her in the things she pursued. So far it had been going well for them, except for the times when she’d been trying to tell her what could go wrong when she left.

“Thank you, Mom! I’ve got to get going now though, I have to get up early tomorrow,” Betty said.

“I know. Daddy and I will be at your apartment to get you at 6 sharp!” Alice answered, kissing her cheek. “Try and get some sleep, okay?”

“I will!” I love you, Mom.”

“Love you too.”

She got her coat from the bedroom and went to find Veronica and Archie before she left.

“You’re leaving already!?” Veronica pouted. “It’s barely midnight, we’re just getting started and Jughead’s not even here yet! You need to say goodbye to him!!!!”

“Jughead’s moping because he has writer’s block and the first draft of his new novel is due soon. He’s not coming tonight,” Archie said. “Besides, he’s not big on goodbyes.”

“It’s not goodbye though. Every single one of you is welcome to come and see me in Italy whenever you’d like!” Betty replied.

Veronica’s face brightened and clapped her hands together. “ _Fantastico!_ Oh, Archikens, say we can go!”

Archie smiled and draped his arm around her. “Anything for you!”

“You have to promise you’ll take care of yourself,” Veronica ordered sternly. “I know sometimes you forget to eat when you get really busy. Drink plenty of water and if you get too lonely, try and make some friends. Take it easy, you don’t want to go all Jim Hardy because you’re running yourself into the ground. Eat good food, drink good wine and buy something nice for yourself. Don’t forget to check in—”

“Now that you’ve given her the checklist!” Archie interjected. “We’re really going to miss you Betts.”

“I’m going to miss you too. But like I said, you have an invitation to come and see me whenever you want!” Betty hugged him and then Veronica. “I can’t promise that I won’t put you to work while you’re there though.”

“I’ll make sure to bring overalls,” Veronica promised, giving her a watery smile

“Don’t be sad. You and Archie are headed to live in New York soon. It was only a matter of time before we weren’t all together anymore.”

Veronica nodded. “I know. It’s just New York and Riverdale is so much closer than Italy and New York and I don’t know what I’m going to do without you. But at the same time, I am _so_ happy for you!”

Betty smiled and hugged her again. “I love you Ronnie.”

“I love you too,” Veronica answered.

Betty turned and held out her arms for one of her longest friends. “And I love you too Archie.”

“Same,” Archie said, taking her in his arms and patting her on the back.

“Bon Voyage! Arrivederci, B!” Veronica embraced her again.

**.**

Betty was leaving when she ran into Jughead in the lobby.

“Betty! I was just coming to say goodbye,” Jughead said, pulling his hat off. “I’m sorry I was late. I’ve just had a lot going on, my editor and agent are really on me to finish the first draft of my novel. Anyways, this is not about me. It’s about you. Italy, I can’t believe you’re leaving me. . . leaving Riverdale, I mean.”

“I’m still going to have Internet in Italy,” Betty reminded him. “If you need my help with anything, you can always call me. I’ll still be there for you Juggie. Because no matter what’s happened, I still love you and I still want you to succeed in whatever it is you do. If you ever need anything, anything at all. . . all you have to do is ask.”

“So, I’m Harrison Ford in this situation?”

Betty kissed him. “I have to go, I have an early morning. But I hate goodbyes. Especially between you and me. So, I’m going to say that I’ll see you later. Okay?”

“See you later,” Jughead replied, hugging her for a little longer than he had to.

**.**

Betty landed in Milan and Luca Marino (at least she was assuming it was him) was waiting for her with a sign that said her name with the name of her villa underneath it.

“That’s me!” Betty said as she walked up to him and smiled.

“Benvenuto in Italia Signora Cooper!” Luca beamed and switched to English as he gave her a kiss on both cheeks. “Welcome to Italy, Miss Cooper! I am so happy you are here.”

Luca Marino, even though he was old enough to be her father, was as good looking as Cary Grant and George Clooney with silver hair and tortoiseshell glasses. In Italian leather shoes and a shiny Armani suit just tailored for him, he was an impeccable dresser.

“Please, call me Betty!” she replied.

“Elizabetta,” Luca compromised. “Come, my wife has made dinner for you. You must be starving after such a long flight. We will take you to your villa tomorrow after you are well-rested and well-fed. That will be fine with you?”

Betty nodded, finally realizing just how tired she was. She had been too excited to sleep the night before her flight and napping on the plane had been harder than she thought it would be. She’d studied her English to Italian dictionary and breezed through _Rome In Love: A Novel_.

“That will be wonderful!” Betty replied.

“Good! First thing tomorrow, I will take you to your villa! I am so looking forward to working with you Elizabetta.”

Betty blushed. “I bet you say that to everyone who’s come to Italy to take a free castle or villa.”

“Maybe.” Luca winked. “But I can already tell that you’re going to be one of my favorites. Now, shall we go and pick up your things from baggage claim?”

“Yes,” Betty agreed.

**.**

**_The Diary - June 10th_  **

**_I made it! I’m in Italy safely. I haven’t seen much of it yet but I am already in love. I never knew how much I have wanted to be here, not until I was here. I don’t think I’ll be homesick, not for a while at least._ **

**_My host family for the evening is named Luca and Isabelle Marino. They are a fashionable older couple. Both widowed at a young age, they were each other’s second chance. They live in a stylish apartment in Milan where they host weary travelers passing through for the night. The wine was overflowing, the food non-stop, and the conversation intelligent. There was gelato and Dean Martin records for dessert._ **

**_Luca is in charge of the castle and villa program. He was waiting for me at the airport. He seems like a nice man, I am looking forward to working with him. He is fair and generous and honestly one of the happiest people I have ever met. He exudes sincerity._ **

**_Isabelle writes for Vogue Italy. Sometimes she takes pictures for fashion spreads._ **

**_Tomorrow I am going to see my villa for the first time ever._ **

**_I have a villa in Italy._ **

**_How did I get so lucky?_ **

**.**

**TBC. . .**

**.**


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks to Raptorlily and jandjsalmon for leaving comments!

**.**

**Chapter 2**

Betty was up with the sun, still too excited and eager to get any sleep. She changed into a pair of tan linen shorts and a rumpled, loose floral blouse and went downstairs to find some coffee to drink.

“Elizabetta!” Isabelle said as she closed her magazine and stood up, her satiny red robe trailing out behind her as she went over to her to greet her. “Good morning, darling! I trust you slept well!”

“I did,” Betty admitted. “The room was lovely. Thank you for letting me stay the night.”

Isabelle took her and shook her head. “No need to say thank you! It was our pleasure, truly it was. Now what can I do for you this morning?”

“Well, I could use a caffeine fix,” Betty said. “And maybe a little bit of breakfast.”

“Would you like to go and have some breakfast at one of my favorite places to get pastries and espresso? Luca had to run to the office for a while. He will be ready to take you to Lombardy by the time we’re through. Just let me go and get changed!”

A few minutes later, Isabelle returned in a cream-colored kaftan. Her face was bare of makeup, her dark hair was pulled into an effortlessly chic bun and there was a golden snake bracelet coiled around her left arm. She pulled on a pair of oversized tortoise shell sunglasses and slipped into gladiator sandals. “Are you ready to go, dearest? Luca just texted me, he is going to meet us at _Dolce Far Niente_. Then we will drive you to Sogni D'oro together! We’ll introduce you to the laborers he hired to help you and get you settled. How does that sound?”’

“Good,” Betty said, her excitement growing even more.

**.**

“There it is, Elizabetta!” Luca proclaimed as he idled the car. “Your new home!”

Betty looked out at her new house. Her breath was completely taken away, it was shabby but all she could see was endless amounts of potential. She could see a future where tourists would come and stay with her and feel like they belonged there.

“I love it!” She breathed. “It’s amazing!”

“I thought it would be a good fit for you,” Luca answered as he started to drive again. “It’s a little large but I know you can handle it. I’ve done my research on you.”

“But we’re not going to leave you all alone,” Isabelle assured her. “We’ll be here whenever you need us.”

“Thank you,” Betty said.

They pulled up to the front of the villa and Luca parked. He got out first and opened the car door for his wife and then for Betty.

“Are you ready for this?” Isabelle asked, looping her arm through Betty’s. “You’re taking on a big project here. We made sure the electricity was wired and you had running water though. There’s even a little coffee maker in the kitchen. We didn’t want you to be completely in the lurch!”

Betty smiled. “Thank you. That means more to me than I can even say! And to answer your question, I am ready for this. Really, I am.”

“Good! I have some papers for you to sign and then this place really will belong to you!” Luca told her, taking a neat stack of papers out of his leather messenger bag and handing them to her along with an ink pen.

She signed the dotted line with a flourish.

“Congratulations!” Luca said when she was done.

Isabelle patted Betty on the hand. “Come on darling, let’s get you settled in!”

**.**

They showed her around her new house and then Isabelle took her into town to buy something for dinner. When they got back, the men who Luca had hired to help with the renovations were waiting to meet her.

And then she was all by herself.

She finally remembered to call her parents to tell them that she’d gotten to Italy safely and she was getting ready to settle into her new home. Alice scolded her for a while about not getting in touch sooner. When she hung up, she shot a group text off to Archie, Veronica and Jughead.

When that was over, she made herself something light to eat with the groceries she and Isabelle had purchased earlier. She stifled a yawn and checked her wristwatch because it was still on Riverdale time. It was almost two in the morning there and she was really exhausted.

She resisted the urge to climb into bed and instead went to get cleaned up. Isabelle had left her a few “essentials”. Bath gels, lotions, a silky bathrobe that was sapphire blue, fluffy towels, candles and a record player with a variety of vinyls.

The tub in the master bathroom was sunken into the floor and was large enough to fit two people. Betty filled it with hot water, shed her clothes and got in. She closed her eyes and sighed in contentment.

 

She was going to take this time to relax because they were starting construction on the villa the next day. She didn’t want to waste any time, she knew from experience that it went by quickly. She could blink and her nine years would be up and nothing would be done.

There was no way she was going to let _that_ happen. She was determined to succeed in everything she did.

She didn’t have to do it perfectly like she had in high school but the word failure still left a bad taste in her mouth.

**.**

Betty woke up to her phone ringing, she reached for it and saw that she’d slept through her alarm. She wiped the sleep from her eyes and brushed the hair away from her face before answering it.

It took her a full minute to realize she was video chatting with Jughead.

“Jughead!” she said, blushing a little bit as she sat up and frantically looked for something to pull her hair back. “Hi! What can I do for you?”

“I was just checking to make sure you were actually alive and that you weren’t kidnapped or anything, he told her.

“I texted you last night.”

“A sophisticated kidnapper could have texted us from your phone and made us believe you were okay,” Jughead answered.

Betty gave up on finding a hair tie and sighed. “Well, I am obviously not kidnapped. I’m actually in my villa right now. Today’s the first day of work, actually. From the sounds of it, I think the people who were hired to help me have already started. I should get up and check on them.”

“I’m sure they know what they’re doing Betts. Whoever’s in charge of this whole thing wouldn’t try and sabotage you,” Jughead said. “I wouldn’t worry too much about it unless they cave the roof in or something.”

“Thank you for adding that to my list of things to worry about.”

“You shouldn’t be worrying about anything,” Jughead replied. “Go and hire somebody to worry for you!”

Betty got out of bed and shook her head as she got some clothes from her suitcase. “It wouldn’t work. I’d worry that I was worrying them too much. Now close your eyes while I get dressed.”

Jughead complied, making a show of putting his hands over his eyes. “You’ve only been there one full day, I’m going to assume you haven’t seen much of Italy yet!”

“No,” Betty answered as she put her bra on. “I don’t think I will see very much of it either. This is not a vacation, you know.”

“But it is your new home and if you’re going to have company, you’re going to want to know a little bit about where you’re staying.”

Betty pulled her dress over her head and started to button it. “Okay, you can look,” she said.

Jughead lowered his hand and smiled at her. “Well, I guess I should let you go now. I just wanted to make sure you were safe. Maybe call Veronica and let her know you’re fine, she’s starting to get on my nerves.”

“I knew that you wouldn’t call to see if I had been kidnapped!” Betty said as she found her box of bobby pins and started to pin her hair up.

“I would have still called to check on you!” Jughead insisted. “I just wouldn’t have added the kidnapping part. That was all _Veronica_. And people say that _I_ have a vivid imagination.”

Betty laughed. “I really have to go now. I’ll call Veronica as soon as we hang up so she’ll stop bothering you.”

“Okay,” Jughead said. “Have a good day Betts. I’ll talk to you later.”

“Okay,” Betty echoed, smiling at him.

In a matter of seconds, he had signed off their video chat. Betty looked at the time and realized that Veronica was probably still asleep or just waking up and wouldn’t be in the mood to talk without coffee in her system or lipstick.

She texted her quickly with a promise to call her later and then went down to the kitchen where she made herself a cup of coffee before stepping outside into the warm, late morning sunshine.

“Signora Elizabetta! You’re awake!” The foreman, Ezio Moretti said in broken English, taking off his cap when he saw her. “I’m sorry if we woke you! It’s just that there are a lot of weeds growing and a fountain that needs repair! You got one of the villas that needs the most work, I’m afraid.”

“Yes,” Betty agreed. “But it’s okay! If we all work together, I am sure we can be successful. Have faith, Ezio.”

“I’ll go and say a prayer this afternoon,” Ezio said. “We’re going to need all the help we can get.”

“Is it really that impossible?”

“If it were impossible, Ezio would tell you, Signora! _This_ is not impossible, we’re just going to need a little more help than greasy elbows and a hammer.”

“Ezio is just being melodramatic!” Luca interjected. “Do not fret Elizabetta!  We would not give you a place you could not succeed into making something useful! He is the local drama king. A hangnail is the equivalent of having appendicitis for him.”

“It is true!” Ezio admitted sheepishly.

“But he is also the best carpenter around!” Luca added.

“That is also true!” Ezio said, puffing out his chest proudly. “My work is fit for the queen herself! I will not disappoint you, I promise! I am the best in all of Italy!”

Betty smiled. “Well, I cannot wait to get started then!”

**.**

**_The Diary - June 11th_ **

**_I am settling into my villa. It is a little run down but I expected that. And it has good bones. I have slowly started to introduce myself to it. Isabelle said this is the Italian way. I trust that eventually I can turn it into something completely wonderful._ **

**_My main contractor is a man named Ezio. He is overly-dramatic and constantly talks about going to church to pray to Saint Jude Thaddeus about the state of our project because it is a hopeless cause. And then he is saying he is going to pray to Saint Anthony about the status of my relationship._ **

**_Saint Anthony is the Patron Saint of Lost Things though, so I am not sure what good praying to him will do me. . . I have not lost anything._ **

**_Anyways. . ._ **

**_Jughead video conferenced me this morning to see if I had really texted them or it was a sophisticated kidnapper pretending to be me. I guess I’m happy there are people who actually care about me. But he was doing it on behalf of Veronica. Not on his own accord._ **

**_I don’t know why I even care if HE really cares if I am okay or not. I’m an ocean away from him and we haven’t been together as a “you and me” in forever._ **

**_My life is a list of endless possibilities now._ **

**_Anything can happen. Anything. I could meet anyone and be swept up in a passionate love affair. Not that I think I’m the kind to have a passionate affair._ **

**_Even when I was with Jughead, we had a quiet kind of love. One that made people think we’d been together for our whole entire lives. Except for that one time. . . when he first said I love you to me._ **

**_But I am looking forward to the new possibilities. I am looking forward to it all more than anything right now._ **

**TBC. . .**

**.**

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I know I just posted the first chapter on Tuesday but Saturdays are going to be update days anyways, so I thought I would get to the regularly scheduled programing tonight. I hope you guys enjoyed this chapter and that you will tell me what you thought about it. I don’t live for numbers or reviews but I do love the little feedback I get. 
> 
> I’ll be back with more next week. 
> 
> Until Next Time!


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks to Raptorlily, Cherlynne, and jandjsalmon for the reviews

**.**

**Chapter 3**

“Elizabetta, look who I found wondering around Milan!”

Betty looked up from the sunflowers she was planting and smiled. “Who did you find, Luca?”

Jughead cleared his throat and waved. “Hi,” he said, getting out of Luca’s car.

Betty stood up and wiping her hands on her short overalls. “Jughead!? What are you doing here?”

“You said if there was anything I ever needed. . .”

Betty touched her forehead, smearing some dirt on it. “I did say that, didn’t I?”

Jughead nodded. “So, I’m here to take you up on your offer because I need something.”

“Should I stick around or are you okay with Forsythe staying here?” Luca asked, sensing their need to have a conversation.

“Oh! I’ve known him for ages!” Betty assured him. “I should be okay. Thank you for dropping him off, Luca! I appreciate it.”

“Of course! It was my pleasure!” Luca answered. “I’ll just unload his suitcases and be off then! Call me if you need anything, Elizabetta. I’ll be more than willing to come and give you a hand.”

Betty nodded and waited while Jughead and Luca took his suitcases out of the trunk of Luca’s convertible.

“So, what are you doing here?” she asked when Luca had driven off, she gripped the handle of Jughead’s smaller rolling bag and looked at him intently. “Not that I’m not happy to see you. I am. . . I’m just. . . a little confused. Aren’t you supposed to be writing a novel?”

“That’s why I’m here,” Jughead replied.  “My first draft is due soon and I found that I couldn’t get any writing done in Riverdale or in New York. Nancy thought it would be a good idea if I got away somewhere new.”

Betty nodded. “Understandable. I wish you’d called before you came instead of surprising me. I’m afraid I don’t have a place ready for you to stay. The whole place is kind of a wreck right now. Even more so than when I started.”

“I just need a place to put my sleeping bag—”

“Don’t be ridiculous!” Betty interjected as she started to walk towards the villa. “No friend of mine is going to sleep on a sleeping bag just anywhere. The room across from mine is in the best condition out of everywhere else. You can sleep there.”

“You’re not mad?” Jughead asked.

“Why would I be mad at you?” Betty answered, letting him in her house. “I said if you ever needed anything at all, I would help you. I understand how important deadlines are. La mia casa è la tua casa! _That_ being said, I do expect you to help out when you can. Even if it’s just going to buy food or cooking dinner.”

“I’ll do anything to make your life a little easier,” Jughead promised.

Betty stopped and turned around, throwing her arms around him. “Good! I’m happy you’re here, Jug! It’s really good to see you again.”

“It’s good to see you too,” Jughead answered, holding her as close as he possible could.

“Do you want something?” Betty asked. “I have some iced tea in the fridge or I could make you coffee. I have leftover pastries from breakfast, they’re amazing! But Ezio always brings way too much in the mornings. He thinks I’m too skinny, he’s trying to fatten me up! My mother would kill him if she knew what he was feeding me.”

“I’m actually pretty tired right now, I could use a quick nap.”

“Jughead Jones, I never thought I would see the day where you’d reject food!” Betty teased as she led him into the bedroom he’d be occupying during his stay with her. “Hold on one second and I’ll go get some sheets to make up the bed. Isabelle brought me some today just in case. . .”

She realized she was rambling, so she turned around and went to her bedroom. She caught a glimpse of herself in the mirror and grimaced with embarrassment when she saw the streak of dirt across her forehead and how disheveled she actually was. She didn’t want to know what Jughead was actually thinking when he had seen her again for the first time.

She shook her head and tried not to care as she grabbed the silky, cerulean sheets off her dresser and scurried back to Jughead. He was already stretched out across the mattress, his arm was covering his eyes but she could tell from the rise and fall of his chest that he was already asleep.

Betty smiled affectionately before covering him with a light blanket, she would make the bed for him later. For now, she was going to let him sleep. She knew from recent experience that he needed it.

**.**

“Who’s the man?” Ezio asked, winking at Betty and nudging her in the arm when she came back outside.

“Just a friend,” Betty answered, blushing in spite of herself.

“Or more than a friend,” Ezio said, wiggling his thick eyebrows in her direction.

“It’s been a very long time since we were anything more than friends,” Betty told him. “He’s just here to finish his second novel, that’s _all_!”

“A novelist! Ah, I dated a novelist when I was a younger man. She made the most passionate love!” Ezio sighed. “I spent many afternoons in church after I spent a night with her.”

Betty eyes widened. She was still getting used to the candid way Italians talked about sex. They offered the information freely and often held nothing back. Ezio was usually the worst offender and he had no idea how much it bothered her. She never engaged in the conversation, she found it wise to let him reminisce. He wasn’t hurting anyone and he never got too lurid with details.

“I hope your novelist will not object to helping out with some of the work when he is not busy writing his book!” Ezio changed the subject. “I cannot stand people who do not pull their weight!”

“Jughead will help out,” Betty assured him. “He worked on construction for years before he got published.”

Ezio brightened. “Really? I like him even more then! Now tell me, has he written anything that I would have read?”

 _“The Sweetwater River Murder,”_ Betty replied.

Ezio’s eyes expanded and his mouth dropped open, his salt-and-pepper thick eyebrows shot up. “You were intimate with _FP Jones the Third_!? He is absolutely famous! _How_ did you ever let him go?”

Betty shrugged. “It was good, it was always good. But I just. . . he was destined for so much and I was his small town girlfriend who wasn’t destined for much of anything. I didn’t want it to go sour. So, I left while we could still be friends. He understood.”

“Do you think he really understood? If I had somebody as beautiful and as kind as you, I would have trouble understanding why you broke it,” Ezio answered.

Betty blushed. “Oh stop it.”

He looked her over critically. “You need to go and get cleaned up,” he dismissed her. “Your knees are covered in dirt and you’re drenched in sweat. We’ll finish up here!  Go on now, off with you!”

“I should really finish helping you though!” Betty protested.

“Elizabetta, this is my livelihood! I think I can manage without you.” He winked at her. “Now go and get cleaned up. Make us some lunch while you are at it! Remember, I brought breakfast, it’s only fair.”

Betty laughed, she knew exactly what he was doing. Ezio never came right out and said anything. He was a shifty one, only ever using the power of suggestion as a tool to get what he wanted. He skirted around issues better than anyone she had ever met before. In a lot of ways, it was charming because there was never a hint of manipulation to it.

“Elizabetta, why are you still here!?” Ezio asked, pointing towards the house. “I told you to go! _Partire!_ I know where to find you if I need you.”

Betty shook her head but started back towards the house all the same. She found she could never win an argument when it came to Ezio and that she probably never would either.

**.**

She peeked in on Jughead when she returned to her house, he was still sleeping soundly. She wanted to stand in his doorway and watch him until he woke up because she felt like she was floating around in a dream.

But she was completely aware of how her clothes were sticking to her and she was dirty after working outside all morning. She knew it would be normal for a while and Jughead would just have to get used to seeing her like this but she still darted across to her room and shed her clothes, she kicked them out of the way and went into the bathroom.

She slipped into the tub and filled it with hot water, she never got to bathe in the middle of the day so she took the time to thoroughly shave her legs and wash her hair instead of hurrying through it so she could get to bed. She was still having trouble adjusting to a new way of life.

Betty was just rinsing off when she heard Jughead moving around, signaling he was awake. She dried off quickly and put on a denim skirt and t-shirt.

“Somebody was making a racket outside the window,” Jughead explained when she came out into the living room.

Betty rolled her eyes and started to braid her hair. “That was probably Ezio. You’ll get used to him eventually. Do you want to go and get lunch? You must be starving.”

“I could eat,” Jughead answered. “I was flying first class but they barely gave me any food at all.”

“You have a bottomless pit. There’s never enough for you to eat,” Betty said. “Come on, I’ll feed you. I just have to tell Ezio where I’m going and that they can go and get lunch if they want to.”

She put her shoes on and ducked outside while Jughead trailed after her.

When Ezio saw them coming, he tossed his shears aside and peeled his gloves off. He hurtled towards them and grabbed Jughead, kissing him on both cheeks.

“Signore Jones! It is a pleasure. . . _no_! It is an _honor_ to make your acquaintance! I am a big fan. A _huge_ fan!”

Jughead held out his hand. “It’s always a pleasure to meet a fan,” he said. “What’s your name?”

“Ezio Moretti!” he answered.

Betty let him fawn a little bit more before interrupting. “Ezio, Jughead and I are going to get lunch. You and everyone else can break to eat while we’re gone.”

“Thank you Elizabetta!” Ezio said cheerfully, he turned back to Jughead. “Maybe you will help with the renovations when you’re not busy writing?”

 _“Ezio!”_ Betty gasped.

“I’ll be more than willing to help,” Jughead promised, tucking his arm into Betty’s. “Now if you’d excuse us, I’m really hungry.”

“You’re getting better with people,” Betty commented as she led him to her rickety old shed so they could get the bicycles to ride into town.

“I’m faking,” Jughead confessed. “I still don’t like people that much but it’s a necessary evil when you’re famous. Besides, most of the fans mean well.”

“I don’t think you’ll be saying that once you get to know Ezio better,” Betty replied, smiling at him as she climbed on her bike and kicked up the kickstand with the heel of her foot. “Now tell me, Signore Jones, did Luca just happen to find you wandering around town or did he know you were coming?”

“Nancy might have done some research and gotten in touch with him about meeting me at the airport,” Jughead answered, getting on the spare bike. “I am sorry it was a surprise. It was unintentional.”

Betty shook her head. “It was a nice surprise,” she assured him as she started to peddle. “And it explains why Isabelle brought a bunch of stuff like spare sheets and pillows to my house this morning. I was kind of confused at first since we haven’t even started on the rooms yet.”

“Thanks for being a good sport about all of this,” Jughead said. “I know it’s disruptive to your life right now.”

Betty shook her head. “Don’t even! You were never a distraction or disruption, Juggie! I said I was happy you’re here. I wasn’t lying or trying to be a good host. I’m never going to be dishonest with you. Although, even if I wasn’t very pleased to see you, I still wouldn’t kick you out.”

They stared at each other for a second and Betty could feel her pulse and the blood hot in her ears.

“I’ll keep that in mind,” Jughead finally responded.

Betty cleared her throat and started to peddle faster. “Come on, I’ll race you to town!” she yelled over her shoulder.

**.**

**The Diary - June 22**

**_Jughead is here._ **

**_It’s strange having him with me in Italy. In this new start of a new life. But he needs me and this place I am living now. He has a novel to write and a deadline to meet. And since he has actually been paid upfront and he has a publishing deal, I know how important it is that he finishes the first draft of his new book._ **

**_It isn’t an imposition. He said when he’s not writing that he’ll help me with my renovations around Sogni D'oro. We have always made a GREAT team ever since we were kids. I think this collaboration will be nothing short of magical and with him by my side, I think I can accomplish anything._ **

**_Don’t take it like I need a man in my life. I don’t, I’ve been fine without him this whole time and I am sure that I’ll be okay when he goes away again. But the two of us have ALWAYS made a good team._ **

**_But this is strictly business. I swear nothing is going to happen. Been there, done that. Everything is resolved between us, I don’t think we need to revisit the past._ **

**_We’re just friends now and that is the way it’s going to stay. No matter what Ezio says about Italy being the country of love. He has that confused with Paris and that is a city anyways._ **

**_I know I said I was looking forward to new possibilities but familiarity is nice too.  It has never bred contempt between the two of us._ **

**_I don’t think it ever will._ **

**TBC. . .**

**.**

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hope you enjoyed this chapter and the explanation I gave for why they broke up. It might not be my best attempt, but I am better at mending broken things or stitching them together than tearing them apart. I hope you’ll tell me what you thought of this. I promise the romance will pick up soon!


	4. Chapter 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks to jandjsalmon, Ashley_338, and sammylps33 for the reviews

**.**

**Chapter 4**

“Jughead, Jughead wake up!” Betty whispered, shaking him a little bit.

“Wha-What are you doing?” Jughead asked. “Why are you waking me up?”

“You need to start getting adjusted to the new time zone,” Betty answered, shaking him again. “Come on, get out of bed!”

“I was up late trying to write,” Jughead told her, rolling on his back so she could see he was glaring. “Except I’m still feeling totally uninspired. Maybe this book wasn’t meant to be after all.”

“You’ve barely been here 24 hours! Put that defeatist attitude away right now and come have some breakfast! We’re going shopping!”

“Shopping?” Jughead repeated. “ _Why_ are we going shopping?”

“Because Isabelle says I need some vision in what I want to do with this place!” Betty replied.

“You need a vision for this place?” Jughead asked. “You’re still working on the outside!”

“I’m turning my attention on the inside of the villa while I let Ezio and his men focus on the landscaping.”

“Have fun shopping,” Jughead said, pulling his blankets over his head.

“You know, sitting around here isn’t going to do anything for your inspiration! And if I do recall correctly, you’re the one who told me that I _had_ to explore Italy. Well, it’s your home now too! So, I think it applies to you as well.” Betty replied, pulling the covers off.

Jughead groaned he was going to give into her. He always did. “Did you make breakfast?” he asked.

“We’re going out! There’s this little place in town that serves the _best_ coffee! The cappuccinos are to die for!”

Jughead opened one eye. “Did you say that there’s coffee?”

“Yes!” Betty confirmed. “And they have pastries.”

“Okay but we’re going to need to find a place that serves a bigger breakfast,” Jughead said as he sat up and stretched.

“They don’t really serve big breakfasts in Italy,” Betty told him, suddenly very aware that he wasn’t wearing a shirt. She averted her eyes. “Lunch is the most important meal of the day here. But you can eat pastries until your heart’s content, if you’d like and we can stop by a market so I can get some food to make a big breakfast tomorrow morning.”

“Betts, you are too good to me!” Jughead said as he tugged on a wrinkled, white linen shirt.

Betty cleared her throat. “How about I just go and iron that for you while you brush your teeth and stuff?”

Jughead looked down at his shirt and then shrugged. “Okay, sure!” he agreed, pulling it off and handing it over to her.

“I’ll have this back to you in a jiff,” Betty promised, almost tripping over her feet as she turned to leave.

She mentally berated herself for getting so flustered at the sight of seeing him shirtless. She was not some fangirl groupie who did “J.J” watches and posted candids of him drinking coffee or surfing or coming out of the gym to her Instagram account.

 _AND_ they had been together for most of their lives. She had seen him without anything on countless amounts of times. Besides, she was over him, their history was as ancient as Italy’s, so there was no need to swoon at the sight of him.

None at all.

She went to the kitchen and plugged in the iron, finding satisfaction in smoothing the wrinkles out of his shirt, it was almost therapeutic. She was so lost in the task at hand that she hardly noticed Enzio until he knocked on the glass window and smiled widely at her.

 _“Enzio!”_ She scolded as she put the iron down and opened the window. “You shouldn’t sneak up on people like that. You almost gave me a heart attack!”

“I am sorry, Signora!” Enzio answered, not looking the least bit sorry as he leaned against the wooden ledge. “What are you doing? Not staying around here to help out around the land?”

“Not today. I’m going to do some shopping for the house though. I want to have an idea of what I’d like to do when the time comes.”

“Okie!” Enzio said, looking at the shirt in her hands, his eyes lit up. “Is Signore Jones going with you?”

“Yes,” Betty replied. “But just so he can see some of the sights. And so you’ll leave him _alone_!”

Enzio looked at her with indignation. “I do not know what you are implying but I know I do not like it!”

“You’re so melodramatic,” Betty told him. “You need to go and get to work. Maybe I’ll see you when we get back.”

“It would be a stormy day if I did not get to see you,” Enzio answered, taking her hand in his and kissing it.

“Should I leave you two alone?” Jughead asked teasingly as he came into the kitchen looking for his shirt.

Enzio shook his head and smirked. “No but maybe I should leave the two alone!”

Betty turned scarlet. “Enzio!” she groaned.

Enzio just giggled and practically scampered off like a teenage girl frolicking with her boyfriend in a field of wildflowers.

Betty looked at Jughead. “Sorry about that. I’m pretty sure if he knew what shipping was, he’d be writing fanfiction about us or running a _Bughead_ blog or something.”

 _“Bughead?”_ Jughead repeated as he took the shirt from her and slipped it on. “What the hell is a _Bughead_!?”

Betty flushed even redder. “Um, never mind. Are you ready to go now?”

“Just about,” Jughead answered, buttoning up. “I just need to go and get my camera and my notebook, in case inspiration strikes while we’re away.”

“Why would you need your camera in case inspiration strikes?” Betty asked as she found her shoes and put them on.

“The camera is so I can be devastatingly aesthetic on Instagram,” Jughead said. “Maybe we can even tease a few of my hardcore fangirls with some black & white shots of you.”

“Are you trying to make them jealous or suspicious?” Betty teased.

“Suspicious, definitely suspicious. Archie and Veronica stalk the fans boards and the comments then tell me what everybody says about me. One girl is convinced I am asexual because nobody’s ever really seen me with a significant other.”

Betty nodded, she wasn’t ignorant to the discord that revolved around Jughead but she didn’t want to spend her morning talking about it either. “Come on,” she said. “Let’s get going! We’ve got lots to do!”

**.**

Jughead mostly trailed Betty while she went in and out of stores. He offered input when she asked for it but she could tell that was mostly caught up in his head or taking pictures of his surroundings, so she left him to his own devices while she continued to look for interesting things alone.

Not that her villa needed much help, it already had a treasure trove of wonderful art and knick-knacks to choose from. She just wanted to make some of it her own with pieces she loved and had chosen by herself.

“So, what are your plans for this place?” Jughead asked when he caught up with her a little while later.

Betty immediately started to tell him about her plans for Friday night movies with a star of the month and libraries and wine and cheese lunches. It was the first time she had really told anybody about it aside from Luca and she was happy to have somebody to share her dream with.

“If you’re looking for an artist in residence, I’d be happy to do the job,” Jughead told her jokingly.

“Everybody would flock from all over the world just to get to talk to you at dinner,” Betty replied, smiling at him.

Her heart squeezed a little bit as she had a vision of the two of them running a successful B&B together. She had such a clear image of him in her head, mentoring young writers and working on his novels in a sunny nook in the corner of her kitchen while she made bigger breakfasts for her more American-minded guests and prepared lighter options for the ones who wanted a true Italian experience.

She imagined asking him to stay and what his answer would be then shook her head, chasing it away.

Betty threaded her arm through Jughead’s. “Come on,” she said. “Let’s go buy some groceries.”

**.**

**The Diary - June 24th**

**_I close my eyes and get lost in a daydream where Jughead and I could be an “us” again. I think it’s his being here because otherwise, I wouldn’t think about him in that way._ **

**_I am a strong independent woman. I need to write that out one hundred times, until it sinks in._ **

**_I can’t let him in again._ **

**_Not when I’m not sure that he wants the same thing as I do._ **

**_He’ll finish his novel and then he’ll be gone. I can’t let myself get involved._ **

**_I’m not sure I have enough heart left for it to be broken again._ **

**TBC. . .**

**.**

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for the delay in updating, I’ve had company the last 10 days and I’ve only been able to write in snatches. This chapter is definitely just filler but I am going on vacation on Saturday, so I am hoping to get a lot of writing done while I’m away. Chapters with lots of plot development.  
> I’ll see you when I get back. Hope you’ll leave me some of your thoughts in the meantime!
> 
> Until Next Time!


	5. Chapter 5

**.**

**Chapter 5**

One day in July, Isabelle came to take Betty shopping in Milan for a wardrobe that was more befitting a young villa owner in Italy. There was nothing wrong with her clothes, the older woman had explained, except they were so glaringly American.

Betty, who had been wearing pastels and cardigans for as long as she could remember, was more than eager to put herself into Isabelle’s stylish hands.

**.**

“You wear your hair in tight ponytails too much,” Isabelle said when Betty was seated in her convertible, leaning over to gently tug the other girl’s hair out. She tossed the worn blonde elastic band out the window. “Ah! There we go that is much better! You look less pained now! Much softer!

“The first rule is to loosen up a little. You are still so young! There is no need to pull your forehead up that high. The next thing is to ditch that floral blouse you’re wearing. There’s no need for you to be so covered up!”

Betty quickly unbuttoned her second layer and discarded it, leaving her with a light pink tank top and denim shorts.

“Much better,” Isabelle said approvingly as she put her car into drive. “You’re too young to not show off your figure. And now that Forsythe is back in your life. . .”

Betty shook her head, launching into the thing she had been telling everyone. “No. That’s in our past, Isabelle! There is no way we’ll get back together. He’s here to write his novel, when that’s over then he’ll go back to the United States and I’ll stay here.”

“He could be your writer in residence and something more,” Isabelle answered, her eyes twinkling.

“Something more?” Betty repeated. “Do you mean he could be my lover?”

“In a way, yes. But something so much more than that, you don’t really have it in you to be somebody’s lover though. Not in the technical sense of the word anyways. I bet that if you asked him to stay, he would. You can write anywhere and whenever he needed to meet with his agent and publishers, he could get on a plane and be there in a New York City minute.”

Betty sighed. “If only it were that simple.”

“If only you would stop complicating things!” Isabelle answered. “Listen, I don’t know what happened between the two of you. It’s between the two of you and should be kept in the past. But you know I am all about second chances. I had one. . . I had two.”

“Two?” Betty asked.

“Both times with Luca,” Isabelle explained. “The first time was when we met after my first husband died. The second one was when I got scared that Luca would leave like Antonio had, I ended things before I could get hurt again. Of course, it wound up hurting all the same. As fate would have it, Luca was still waiting for me to come to my senses. It would have served me right if he had never spoken to me again.

“I said the most terrible things before I left him. I wanted to give him a reason to hate me, to reject me. But he knew. He knew because he felt the same way.”

“I-I was afraid,” Betty repeated the story she had told Enzio. “I didn’t want to get lost in the shuffle of the fame and the fangirls. I didn’t say anything terrible, we parted as friends. But I don’t know how we can fix what we broke.”

“It’s quite easy if you want to,” Isabelle said. “All you have to do is wear your nicest perfume and your nicest dress with your best lingerie underneath and tell him exactly what you want. Sometimes men need to be told these things because they’re helpless otherwise. You still love him, don’t you?”

“I-I do,” Betty admitted in a low voice. It had been so long since she’d said it aloud, it sounded as foreign as the Italian language did to her untrained ears.

“Then what’s holding you back from telling him? He deserves to know how you feel, you know. You have to promise me that you’ll be brave and tell him before he leaves, Elizabetta. You _have_ to!”

“I don’t want to make him feel like he is obligated to stay. And if I say those words to him, he _will_ stay because he takes _I love you_ seriously. He always has.”

Isabelle reached over and put her hand on Betty’s knee. “Then maybe it was meant to be. Love can cross oceans, darling. You need to stop being so scared. A life without love is no life at all.”

“Do you always speak in movie clichés?”

“Maybe a little. But American movies has some of the best lines!” Isabelle laughed. “You had me at hello, it’s such a classic!”

Betty smiled. “Yeah, I like that one too. Even though it is a bit over the top and something nobody would say in real life.”

“But it’s a movie, they’re allowed to be a bit over the top and to say things nobody would say in real life,” Isabelle answered. “Nobody goes to the movies to hear them say things you would say in everyday conversation. We all want to be swept off our feet.”

“I guess you’re right,” Betty agreed.

**.**

They spent their afternoon shopping in Florence. Isabelle replaced Betty’s wardrobe with bold golds and reds and blues and floral prints. With flowy dresses and miniskirts and black, turtleneck sweaters and more shoes than she had owned in a lifetime.

“You are quite beautiful,” Isabelle told her as she tucked Betty’s hair into a loose bun at the nape of her neck. “Just like a young Grace Kelly.”

Betty stared at herself in the mirror. “Grace Kelly?” she repeated.

“Yes,” Isabelle replied as she pulled out her credit card. “This last purchase is on me. I won’t take no for an answer!”

Betty looked down at the nude crepe, silk Fendi dress, and the golden cuff, and burgundy, velvet sandals with heels. She’d been frugal the whole day, shopping only at consignment shops. Italian women were generous donors, most of the clothes still had the tags on them and she’d gotten them all for a fraction of the original buying price.

“Are you sure?” she asked after a beat.

“Elizabetta, I have the money! Do not concern yourself with such matters!” Isabelle waved her concerns off. “All I ask for a trade is that you go home and ask Forsythe to get dinner with you tonight. This outfit cannot go to waste on you making a meal in your own kitchen!”

Betty sighed as she turned around and looked at herself in the three-way mirror. “I don’t know.”

“It’s not like I’m buying you an Oscar De La Renta to wear to the Oscars. You can wear this every day!” Isabelle told her. “Put on a pair of leather sandals and a belt, and you’ve got yourself a lovely day dress. It’s very fitting for a young lady in your position. Oh please, let me buy it for you Elizabetta!”

Betty closed her eyes. “Okay, okay! You can buy it for me!”

Isabelle clapped as she led her to the cash register. “And you _will_ ask Forsythe to have dinner with you?”

“Yes,” Betty said begrudgingly. “I will.”

Isabelle smiled a triumphant kind of smile, swiped her card and signed the receipt with a flourish.

**.**

When she got home, Jughead was working out in the garden with Enzio. He had a streak of dirt across his face, Betty wanted to laugh. It wasn’t what she would expect a hot young author to do. Not even one she had known since they were both in diapers.

Jughead looked up from the row of sunflowers he was planting and smiled at her. “I trust your shopping trip was successful!”

Betty twirled around for him. “According to Isabelle, I don’t look like a tourist anymore. I look like I belong here.”

“As you should!” Jughead answered, dusting his hands off.

“Go and get cleaned up!” Betty told him before she lost her nerve. “I know Enzio has you hard at work but I’m the boss around here and I’m going to take you out to dinner!”

Jughead stood up and looked at her. “It _would_ be a shame to waste such a lovely dress on just me and Enzio keeps raving about parmesan ravioli. I think I need to try it for myself.”

“Of course! I’ll just go and tell Enzio we’re done for the day while you bathe and get changed.”

A little while later, after Enzio and the rest of the crew had left, Jughead came out into the kitchen wearing a white button down with his sleeves rolled up and black pants that were cuffed.

“Well?” he asked. “Will I do?”

“I think you will do quite nicely,” she answered, smiling at him as she went over to him and wove her arm through his. “Come on, let’s go and get something to eat. I’m starving!”

**.**

**The Diary - July 1st**

**Jughead and I went out to get dinner tonight. We had parmesan ravioli and red wine and affogato for dessert. There was too much espresso in the gelato and now I’m sitting up because I can’t sleep. The caffeine has made me jittery and wide awake. But maybe it’s something more than that.**

**I went shopping with Isabelle today and she is a part-time stylist, part-time therapist. She had me admitting things aloud that I haven’t admitted aloud in a very long time and I wasn’t even drunk.**

**I love him.**

**I, Elizabeth Cooper, am still in love with Forsythe Jones the III. Of course I have known this for years despite my protests that it’s over between us. I think I’ve said it aloud so many times so I can start believing it for myself.**

**My mind is reeling with “what ifs?”**

**I know whenever he writes the last chapter in his book, he’ll be gone again. There’s no reason starting something that’ll have a quick end.**

**I am here in Italy long-term. Maybe forever if everything goes according to plan.**

**Isabelle says that he can write from anywhere but there will be book tours and interviews on _Live With Kelly & Ryan_. He’s one of Oprah's favorite writers. His first novel was one of her book club picks.**

**The whole world is waiting for him. The whole world loves him and I have nothing to offer him except for my heart and my dreams and a place changing sheets in guest rooms. And what would his fans say if one ever stayed here and they caught him serving wine and cheese? Or leading a discussion about Meryl Streep movies on Friday night?**

**His fans think they have some claim to him and I do not want to be at the receiving end of their jealousy. Not again.**

**Of course there is the other end of the “what ifs?".**

**What if this is meant to be and he showed up on my doorstep because it is time for us to get back together? To make it work?**

**All my fears and insecurities are in overdrive right now.**

**I am afraid I’ll burst. And that if I do, I’ll say something that we’ll both regret as soon as I say it. But I do not want to live the rest of my life alone in this beautiful country.**

**He’s across the room from me. I wonder if he’s sleeping soundly and blissfully unaware of my feelings. Or if he’s tossing and turning, thinking about me. Maybe he’s trying to write the next chapter in his book since Enzio had him working in the yard all afternoon and he probably didn’t have the chance to do it earlier.**

**He’s always been a night owl. . .**

**I have to do something to distract myself, or I’m afraid I’ll do something crazy. After all, crazy hasn’t been my specialty in a while.**

**TBC. . .**

**.**

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I’m BACK!!!! I’m just as frazzled and at my rope’s end like I was before I left. So much for vacation, ammiright???   
> Anyways, don’t think everything is going to be so easy going forward. Betty might have admitted that she still loves Jughead but I have some stuff to get them through first! 
> 
> I hope you’ll tune in for what happens next. In the meantime, tell me what you thought! I love hearing from you guys.


	6. Chapter 6

**.**

**Chapter 6**

Two days after she realized she still loved Jughead, Kevin Keller showed up at her door. Another visitor that Betty wasn’t expecting and this time she was hopelessly unprepared.

“Don’t you worry your pretty little head about it!” Kevin told her as she poured him a glass of wine. “I’ve booked a room in a hotel in town. Of course it won’t be as fabulous as this place is when you’re finished with it but I’ve got to sleep _somewhere_!”

“I just wish you had told me that you were coming,” Betty said. “I could have gotten something ready for you!”

“I wouldn’t want to impose though.” Kevin winked at her. “I know how two people can be when they’ve just gotten together. Or in your case, back together.”

Betty frowned. “Kevin, what on earth are you talking about!?”

“You’re _glowing_! You and Jughead have to be back together. . . or at least _doing it_!”

“We’re not doing _anything_ except for restoring a villa!” Betty protested.

“And you’re living together and probably running around the Italian countryside together!” Kevin added. “And sharing your lives. . . oh my gosh, you’re _blushing_! Elizabeth Cooper, you tell me what’s going on _right_ now! I know you can too because Jughead as at some little coffee shop slaving away on his next novel over a cappuccino.”

“There’s a possible little chance that I could still love him.”

“I don’t think there’s a _chance_ , little or big that you still love him. I think you actually _do_. You can’t hide those lying eyes!”

_“Kev. . .”_

“What? It’s okay if you still love him. You know, sometimes the girl ends up with her high school sweetheart.”

“Yeah. Well, I think that’s Ronnie and Archie’s story,” Betty said, slicing some fresh parmesan cheese and crusty bread.

“It could be your story too,” Kevin replied, grinning at her. “Anyways, tell me about the dating scene here. Any hot single Italian men who aren’t straight?”

“I don’t know. The only men I’ve met are on my crew and we’re not exactly discussing sexual orientation. Is that why you came to Italy, to see if there were any single men?” Betty joked.

Kevin looked affronted. “No! I missed my best gal pal!”

“You still have Veronica!” Betty reminded him.

“And she is _ah-mazing_!” Kevin answered. “ _BUT_ before there was Veronica, there was you and me! And I miss you, girl!”

“I miss you too,” Betty said. “When I get the chance to think about it, that is. Renovations keep me busy as you know.”

“That and Jughead,” Kevin added teasingly.

Betty just laughed and tossed a grape at his nose. “Hush you!”

**.**

“Look who came by for a visit!” Betty said when Jughead got home later on that day.

“Hey Kev!” Jughead answered, dropping his messenger bag and going over to shake Kevin’s hand. “You’ve come a long way just to drop in for a visit.”

“Haha. I missed that sense of humor,” Kevin replied. “Italy looks like it’s been treating you well!”

“It looks like it hasn’t treated you very well,” Jughead said.

“Jetlag,” Kevin explained.

“It kicked my butt too,” Jughead told him. “I’d say you’ll get used to it but I’m guessing you won’t be here that long.”

Kevin shrugged. “I could only take the week off and I had to agree to do a bunch of fashion stuff while I was here. My boss is a nightmare.”

“I can commiserate,” Jughead said. “Trust me, if my agent hadn’t been riding my back about this whole book thing I might not even be here right now.”

Kevin looked at Betty, slyly. “I’m sure it’ll all work out in the end.”

“Are you hungry, Juggie? I think we should go into town and get some food. Our cupboards are kind of empty right now.”

Jughead looked at her and smiled. “Betts, you know I could _always_ eat!”

“Let’s go then!” Betty said, tucking her black, silk, button-down cami into her cream-colored linen skirt. “I am craving pizza. Does that sound good to you, Kevin?”

Kevin stood up and stretched. “I could go for anything right about now and then I’m going back to my hotel to get some sleep. And trust me when I say it isn’t either of your guys company. I’m _exhausted_!”

Jughead slung his arm around Betty’s shoulder. “Don’t worry. We can get along without you.”

Kevin smirked. “Oh, I am _sure_ you will!”

Betty shook her head. “I’m going to get my shoes.”

“Speaking of people that Italy’s been good to,” Kevin commented when Betty had left the room.

“Betty’s always been beautiful,” Jughead replied. “Her style might have changed but when in Rome do as the Romans do. No pun intended.”

Kevin nodded, looking at Jughead slyly. “You two have seemed to have fallen into a cozy little routine here.”

“If you expect to find out anything about Betty and me, you won’t. There’s nothing to tell, she works on this villa all day and I’m writing.  Trust me, Kev. It isn’t as juicy as any of you or the tabloids would want to make it if they were to find out I was here with a former girlfriend.”

“With your _only_ former girlfriend!” Kevin pointed out.

“Did you come all this way to check in on me and Betty?”

“No! I just missed my best gal pal and my favorite writer. Seriously, for real!” Kevin replied. “Why do you and Betty both think I have ulterior motives for being here? Since when have you known me to do anything scheming underhanded?”

“Are you two ready to go?” Betty called.

“Ready Betts!” Jughead replied. “Come on, Kev. Your life is about to change. You haven’t lived until you’ve tried real Italian pizza. I don’t know what I’m going to do when I get home.”

Kevin raised any eyebrow. “You know. . . you don’t have to leave.”

“You know, Betty has to ask me to stay.”

“Come on!” Betty sang, opening the door and waving them towards it.

“We are being beckoned,” Jughead told Kevin. “I’d get going before she gets really upset at us. I’ve seen it happen before.”

**.**

“I just realized we have to walk home,” Betty said after dinner. “Kevin’s gone and he took his rental car with him.”

“It’s okay,” Jughead answered. “It’s a nice night for a walk and we did just eat a ton of pizza.”

“Oh please! Mr. Metabolism, you don’t have to work anything off!” Betty replied, rolling her eyes. “All you’ve been eating is carbs since you got here and you haven’t put on an ounce.”

“You haven’t put on any weight either!” Jughead argued. “In my personal opinion, which I personally think counts for a whole lot, you look spectacular. I don’t think you have to be concerned about your figure, as soon as you eat something you go and do hard work to counteract it. So, stop worrying about it and let’s stop to get some gelato before we go home. It’ll be my treat!”

Betty sighed. “Juggie. . .”

Jughead took her hand and dragged her to a gelato shop called Mozzafiato. He pulled out his wallet and paid the man behind the counter before ordering. “Due gusti erm. . . cono cioccolato fondete. . .” he trailed off, shrugging. “Do you speak English?”

“Yes, I do!”

“Good. I’m still learning Italian but I think I’ll impress my friend more if I don’t screw up your beautiful language.”

The man behind the counter beamed. “Of course! You mentioned you want dark chocolate, what else would you like with that?”

“Coffee,” Jughead answered. “Betts?”

“Oh, I really couldn’t eat another bite! I’m stuffed. . .” Betty trailed off. “You know what? I’ll have the same thing as him.”

**.**

“I’m happy to see Kev,” Betty told Jughead as they strolled home, the gravel crunching beneath their feet. “But I really wish our friends would call and say they were coming before they just showed up.”

Jughead expertly threaded his arm through her’s while still holding on to his cone of gelato. “You want them to book a room or the full experience at villa _Sogni d’Oro_?”

“I wouldn’t make any of my friends pay,” Betty answered. “I just want to make sure I have a room ready for them and that I’m not knee-deep in sunflowers for once.”

“If they’re your real friends, they’re not going to care if you have a room ready for them or what you look like. They’ll book a place to stay in town and wait for you to wash the dirt off your face,” Jughead told her. “If the villa is full of guests, they’ll understand and make other arrangements. Everything will be okay. And if it really is an issue, just ask them to give you a head’s up before they jump on a plane.”

Betty smiled up at him. “And what would I say to you, my dear friend if you just keep showing up at my door unexpectedly?”

“I’m assuming you’ll always have a place for me to stay whether I make a reservation or not. Don’t you think having a writer in residence would be good for business?”

“So, you expect me to keep the room across the hall from mine ready whenever you need it?” Betty asked, biting her lip.

“If I ever finish this second novel and sign a contract to write a third one,” Jughead replied. “I’m about ready to scrap the whole thing and start something else entirely. But I’ve already spent a portion of my advance and I can’t afford to return it right now. So, I guess I’ll have to stick to writing about a fictionalized account of Natalee Holloway’s disappearance in Aruba. I don’t know what I was thinking when I came up with _that_.”

“If you could stop writing it and begin all over again, what true crime would you fictionalize next? The Amanda Knox story, since we are in Italy?”

Jughead shook his head. “I don’t think I’d write another novel based on true crime. I’d write about a beautiful American girl who owns property in Italy.”

Betty laughed. “That’s already been done though. Remember _Under the Tuscan Sun_?”

“It would be a completely different story!” Jughead replied, getting a far off look in his face.

“We’re home,” Betty said. “The walk wasn’t that bad.”

“No it wasn’t,” Jughead agreed, eyeing Betty’s strappy, metallic, high-heeled sandals. “But if we go out with Kevin again, I suggest we take the Vespas, I imagine it wasn’t very comfortable walking in those shoes.”

“I’ll be okay,” Betty assured him, retrieving the antique key from her purse and unlocking the front door, she flicked the lights on and turned around to look at Jughead.

This was the part in the Hallmark movie where they went to their own rooms for the night, this was the part in the _Lifetime_ movie where she offered him wine and then they made love while a generic R&B song played. She’d seen enough of both channels to know what happened in scripted situations. But this was real life, not a _MarVista_ production, there was no cue. No hint to what was coming. And she was hopelessly clueless what to do next.

“I should do some writing,” Jughead said.

Betty nodded. “Yeah. I’m going to order some books and DVDs on _Amazon_ for the library before I go to bed.”

“I’ll see you in the morning,” Jughead replied.

“Good night,” Betty answered, feeling a little empty in her stomach despite the pizza and gelato. She watched him walk away.

She was always watching him walk away and most of the time it was her fault. But she wasn’t brave enough to ask him to stay.

**.**

**The Diary - July 3 rd**

**Kevin is here. Are all my friends to descend upon me without warning? It’s not that I’m unhappy with the company, I would gladly put up everyone for as long as they’d like to stay. It’s just the being unprepared for guests. There’s still this part in me leftover from high school where I need to make plans and make sure everything is perfect for everybody. We didn’t know Kevin was coming, so as a result he’s staying in town and I feel a gnawing sense of guilt that he has to pay to visit me even though I have a villa full of rooms I could have offered if I knew he was coming. . .**

**He knows how I feel about Jughead. Guessed it almost as soon as he got here, I guess it isn’t much of a surprise. He knows me better than almost anyone else. . . but I’m afraid if I am that transparent to Kevin then Jughead will know too.**

**Jughead is the one who _really_ knows me better than anyone else. **

**What if he does know and he’s not saying anything because he finally doesn’t feel the same way? Sometimes he looks at me and I think he still does love me but maybe it’s just wishful thinking. I don’t even know what’s keeping me from asking right out. The fear of being rejected? That’s probably it.**

**If he rejected me, it would be worse than the times Archie rejected me for some other girl when we were in high school.**

**So, I’m just waiting for the day he says it first. If he never does, if my heart breaks in the process. . . I’ll just have to live with it.**

**Either way I lose.**

**TBC. . .**

**.**

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I know Betty’s diary entries are getting repetitive but I’ve kept about 70 journals since I was 13 and sometimes I tend to rehash a subject just to make sense of it. If you’ve ever kept one, does the same thing happen to you? I don’t particularly love doing a self-insert. Anyways, we’re still a little ways off from the end but I’ll be back to regular updates soon. I hope you’ll tell me what you thought, I love hearing from you!


	7. Chapter 7

**.**

**Chapter 7**

“You just let him go to bed?” Kevin asked as they sipped coffee in the courtyard.

“What kind of signals was he giving off?” Enzio added. “Did it seem like he wanted to kiss you?”

Betty shrugged and sat back in her chair. “Honestly, I’ve never been good at reading signals.”

“It’s true!” Kevin agreed. “If she were good at reading them, she would have known Jughead had been in love with her since the first time they’d met. I don’t think you have anything to worry about, Betts. He’s still in love with you too.”

Enzio nodded. “Anyone with eyes can see that he still is in love with you!”

Betty rubbed her temples. “Maybe I should just tell him to leave.”

Kevin smirked. “We both know you wouldn’t do that no matter how obnoxious he got.”

“I might!” Betty protested.

A sleepy looking Jughead joined them, he eyed them suspiciously when they all stopped talking. “What’s going on guys?”

“Nothing!” Enzio answered. “We were just discussing what colors we are going to paint the villa since we are almost done out here. Elizabetta was just saying how she would like a yellow the color of sunflowers for the library.”

“And I was saying that was a wonderful idea!” Kevin replied. “Betty gave me a tour of the house while you were still sleeping and with all those windows, it would be so cheery!”

“Okay. . .” Jughead trailed off and looked at Betty. “I hate to bother you but would you mind if I ate breakfast in front of my computer this morning? I finally hit my stride last night and I’d like to continue writing while I still have my inspiration.”

“It’s no bother,” Betty answered as she poured him a cup of coffee and fixed it the way he liked it. “I was going to make breakfast for you anyways. What difference will a few feet make? You go and create some magic!”

“I really am sorry I can’t help you today,” Jughead said to Enzio, apologetically.

“We’ll be fine!” Betty assured him. “Enzio and the guys were going to start replacing the light fixtures in the villa so I could have an opportunity to spend some time with Kevin. You do your thing, I’ll leave you alone until it’s time for dinner.”

Jughead smiled at her. “Okay. Thanks Betts, you’re the best!”

“Hashtag, _SO married_!” Kevin said when Jughead was out of earshot. “It’s almost adorable, even if it is so 1950s housewife!”

“It’s not like _that_! I am not a 50s housewife, Kev!” Betty rolled her eyes. “He does more than his fair share around here.”

“I’m sure he does,” Kevin said. “I used to work with him sometimes during the summer on Mr. Andrew’s construction sites. Does he still wear a wife beater on the job?”

“Kevin.”

Kevin threw his hands up. “Okay. I’m sorry! I just want to see my best friend happy!”

Betty frowned. “How does my happiness depend on Jughead wearing a wife beater or not?”

“Because either he’s let himself go since he’s become famous or he hasn’t worn one and you haven’t gotten a glance at his physique.”

“It’s not just about looks, you know!” Betty informed him.

“But it helps!” Kevin replied.

“Kevin is right,” Enzio said helpfully. “You would not want to be with somebody you were not attracted to!”

Betty was getting pretty fed up with the whole “will they, won’t they” discussion. But of course she couldn’t say this to Kevin. She knew he was only trying to help and that he truly only wanted her to be happy.

“How about we just do what we’re supposed to do for today and not talk about it anymore?” Betty suggested as she started to clean up the coffee.

“Okay,” Kevin finally agreed, finally getting the hint.

**.**

Kevin’s weeklong visit was a blur of sight-seeing and long Italian dinners, he didn’t bring up the subject of Jughead and Betty again for the rest of the trip.

Betty was sorry to see him leave but he promised to return when the villa was finished and stay with her as a guest.

“Tell Veronica that I’m happy,” Betty told him as they said their goodbyes. “I know she sent you to check up on us.”

“Why Elizabeth Cooper, I have no idea what you’re talking about!” Kevin replied, winking at her. “But I will tell her that you and Jughead both seem to be thriving here, despite not being together.”

Betty shook her head. “You better go or you’ll be late for your plane.”

Kevin hugged her and then hopped in his rental car, he rolled down his window. “Tell Jughead that I said goodbye and good luck with his novel.”

“I will,” Betty promised, waving. “Goodbye Kev.”

“Goodbye Betty!” Kevin replied.

**.**

“Kevin gone?” Jughead asked when she had come inside.

Betty nodded. “Yeah.”

Jughead smiled and poured a glass of sparkling water for her. “Does he have a good enough report for Veronica?”

“It’s good enough,” Betty answered, sighing and kicking her flip-flops off. “Isabelle and Luca would like us to have dinner with them tonight. Do you think you could pry yourself away from your laptop for a little bit?”

“I think I could manage something. My editor and manager are both happy with the chapters that I’ve sent them and I do have to eat,” Jughead said, adding lemon slices to her drink.

“Yes you do, Mr. Bottomless Pit,” Betty agreed. “So, I can call Isabelle and tell her we’ll both be there then?”

Jughead nodded. “Yeah. I have a couple more scenes I need to write before we go but I can spare a few hours afterwards.”

Betty’s eyes twinkled as she accepted the glass from him and took a sip. “You can spare a few hours for lil’ ole me? I do feel special!” she said jokingly.

Jughead shook his head. “I’m leaving now.”

“I’ll come and get you in a little bit!” Betty replied, smiling at him.

He smiled back.

**.**

“Have you said anything yet?” Isabelle asked as she arranged tomato bruschetta. “I have been waiting anxiously to know how it has gone.”

Betty shook her head. “No. I haven’t had the opportunity and I am still not sure how to tell him.”

“With words,” Isabelle reminded her. “Haven’t we already discussed this?”

“I can’t seem to find the right ones,” Betty confessed. “Even if I could, I’m pretty sure they’d get stuck in my throat.”

Isabelle sighed. ”I will not press you anymore, nobody likes to be nagged but I will light a candle for you when I go to church tomorrow and pray for courage and love.”

“Thank you,” Betty replied because she needed it, she knew she did.

Isabelle turned on some music, picked up her tray of appetizers and tucked a bottle of wine under her arm. “Come, let us go and see if Luca and Forsythe are ready for us.”

Betty nodded and took four wine glasses, following Isabelle out to the courtyard with opera music in their wake.

**.**

“I am getting used to life here,” Jughead admitted as they drove home in the car that Betty had finally purchased.

Maybe it was a hint, an invitation for her to ask “ _then why don’t you stay!?”_ But Betty didn’t say it aloud. She twisted her serpent ring around her finger and looked out the window at the moon shining down on them.

**.**

**The Diary - July 10th**

**What’s wrong with me? I am a grown woman and I cannot do the things grown women all over the world do. I cannot tell the man I love how I feel about him. I cannot ask him to spend the rest of his life with me even when he says something like “I am getting used to life here.” But then I cannot invite him to spend the night with me, never mind sharing forever together.**

**I love him.**

**I love him.**

**I love him.**

**So, why am I too good at goodbyes?**

**TBC. . .**

**.**

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, yeah. . . Sam Smith’s new title may have inspired the last line but no worries, I never leave an ending unhappy. So, unlike “Good at Goodbyes”, they do stand a chance. Anyways, I am tired of the slow burn so things should be picking up in the Bughead department soon. I hope you’ll stick around for a little longer. In the meantime, reviews or even kudos keep me motivated. Hope you’ll share your thoughts with me. I’m halfway through chapter 8, so it should be ready for next Saturday. The reason it took so long to get this chapter out was because I felt a bit sick last week. My apologizes for that.
> 
> Until Next Time!


	8. Chapter 8

**.**

**Chapter 8**

Summer had turned to autumn and Betty had almost finished her villa, so she and Jughead had both taken the day off to celebrate.

“I am going to turn in the second draft of my novel soon,” Jughead told her as they peddled down a stone road. “I’ll be out of your hair soon.”

She almost skidded to a stop and fell off her bicycle when he said this. “So soon?” she asked, regaining her balance before he could even tell anything was amiss.

“So soon? I’ve already been here for a while,” Jughead answered. “I’m sure you’re sick of me and I have a few meetings in the United States. Stuff with the CW execs about turning my first novel into a television show and it’s been forever since I’ve had a face-to-face with my editor and my agent.”

“Of course,” Betty replied. “It’s not like I expected you to stay forever, Juggie. We both knew you’d only be here until you finished your manuscript.”

“Listen, I’m still a week or two away from completing it and it’s not like I’m never going to come back. Besides, I’ve gotten used to it here. There’s going to be so much I’m going to miss, you couldn’t pay to keep me away.”

Betty kept her eyes on the road in front of her. “I guess it’ll be hard to find a decent piece of _authentic_ Italian pizza in New York City.”

“Yes, I’ll miss the pizza most of all,” Jughead agreed, winking at her.

“You know you can always come back,” Betty blurted out. “Whenever you want just say the word and I’ll have the room ready for you.”

“I am going to hold you to that,” Jughead answered.

Betty bit her lip and braked. “Jughead, I-I don’t know how to tell you how much I’ve enjoyed our time together. You’ve made the transition so much easier. . . maybe I wouldn’t have handled moving here as well as I did without you.”

Jughead stopped beside her and reached out to cover her hand with his. “Betty, you are so much stronger than even having me around. I am sure you would have done incredible things and settled in brilliantly without me. Enzio and everyone else here adores you. You don’t need me! You’re doing wonderfully on your own.”

Betty still didn’t know how to tell him that she might not _need_ him with her but she wanted him there even though this was the perfect opportunity to do it.

She swallowed. “Maybe we should stop and find somewhere to eat. Are you getting hungry yet?”

 

Jughead nodded. “You know I could always eat.”

They picnicked on the beach and talked about everything else besides their feelings for each other and home renovations and almost completed novels. Betty wanted to hold onto their last moments together and capture them forever. Just in case.

When the sky grew overcast, they packed up as quickly as possible to beat the storm home before it started. They’d just tossed their bicycles into the shed when there was a clap of thunder and the heavens opened up and it started to pour, drenching them in rain.

There wasn’t any power when they got into the house, dim light was filtering through the windows. Jughead had removed his jacket and was running his fingers through his wet hair. Betty took a deep breath and threw caution to the wind, hoping he wouldn’t reject her. Without thinking about it twice, she dropped her picnic basket on the floor and went over to him.

She touched his cheek. “Even after all these years, you’re still so handsome.”

Jughead smiled and caught her hand in his, kissed it. “After all these years, you’ve gotten even more beautiful. How is that possible?”

Betty kissed him on the mouth. After a beat, he kissed her back, wrapping his arms around her waist and pulling her closer. She thought that maybe she should say something. . . say anything, but Jughead was making it hard for her to string together a coherent thought which was a first.

When he kissed her, he usually gave her clarity.  

“Jughead. . .” she breathed as he found her neck, desire pooling in her belly.

It had been so long since she’d kissed anybody, since she’d been with anybody. Jughead had been her last. If she was lucky, he’d be her first in a while.

He pushed her soaked cardigan off her shoulders and it fell to the floor with a plop. She held onto him tighter, let him take the lead. Whatever he wanted to do, she was going to allow him to do it. He found the zipper on her Dolce & Gabbana poplin, sundress and fumbled with it before getting it on the third try.

It fell to her ankles in a pool of poplin and she was standing in the entryway in nothing but her slip and flats. “Hold on a second,” she said, untangling herself from Jughead’s arms and stepping out of her dress, kicking her shoes aside before taking his white t-shirt off and adding it to the pile of clothes near her feet.

She smiled up at him uncertainly and he smiled in return then picked her up before giving her a searing kiss and whisking her off to his bedroom.

He laid her down on the bed, caressed her face and kissed her all over. Her cheeks, her forehead, her nose. . . her eyes. Her breath hitched in her throat, she was overcome with emotion.

Jughead noticed the change in her emotions. “Shhh,” he whispered, brushing her hair away from her face and pulling her up to meet him. “C’mere.” he hugged her. She buried her face in his chest and released a breath.

“Jug—”

She was interrupted by the doorbell ringing.

“It’s probably just Enzio,” Jughead said. “What were you going to say? Go on, I’m listening.”

The ringing doorbell persisted and Betty paused again. “I better go and see who’s here,” she said, standing up and darting across the hallway to her room to get her bathrobe, trying to steady her breathing.

Betty pulled on the long, Asian print robe and tied it before pulling her hair up and lighting a candle. She picked it up and went back to the entryway. She kicked the discarded clothes out of the way and then opened the door.

A pale, exhausted looking Veronica Lodge was standing on her front porch surrounded by suitcase and draped in black. When Veronica saw Betty, she collapsed into her arms and started to bawl.

“Betts?” Jughead asked, coming out to join them, fully clothed. “Who’s here?”  


“It’s Ronnie,” Betty answered, rubbing Veronica’s back.

Jughead frowned when he noticed how upset Veronica was. “Ron, what’s wrong? Where’s Archie?”

“I-I-I c-c-came by myself,” Veronica replied, avoiding looking at both Jughead and Betty.

“Are you two fighting?” Betty prodded gently.

“Did he kick you out?” Jughead added, pulling his phone out. “Because I’ll call him right now and give him an earful.”

“It’s nothing like that,” Veronica said, shaking her head as she let go of Betty and finally looked at them. “It’s. . . it’s just that. . . I don’t even know how to tell you. How to say it.”

“Did he cheat on you?” Betty asked. “Did _you_ cheat on him?”

“No! Nobody cheated!” Veronica replied. “Can we please go inside? I don’t know if either of you have noticed but it’s raining out here.”

“Oh! Of course! Come on in!” Betty said, putting her arm around Veronica.

“Juggie, could you please get my luggage?” Veronica called over her shoulder, swiping at her eyes.

“Sure,” Jughead agreed.

“Put them in my bedroom,” Betty told him. “She can sleep with me.”

**.**

“So, what brought you all the way over to Italy if it wasn’t cheating or arguing? Does Archie not want to get engaged?” Betty asked as she uncorked a bottle of wine and poured a glass.

Veronica sniffed. “I don’t know. . . I don’t know how he really feels about anything right now to be honest. I kind of left New York in a hurry.”

Betty frowned. “Veronica, what on earth are you talking about?”

Veronica blew some air out. “Well, you see Betts, I might be pregnant.”

“Pregnant?” Betty repeated. “What did Archie say when you told him? Why did you fly here if you’re _pregnant_? You know it isn’t safe to fly in your first trimester.”

“Archie doesn’t know I’m pregnant,” Veronica told her. “I left without telling him, okay?”

“Archie must be worried sick!” Betty said, realizing she was about to overfill her glass.

“I left him a note and told him that I was coming to see you,” Veronica replied. “And there’s a fifty percent chance that I’m not. So, there’s a fifty percent chance Baby Lodge is fine. You worry too much, B.”

Betty sighed and got some sparkling water for Veronica. “Are you hungry?”

Veronica shook her head. “Just tired, I feel like I could sleep for a year.”

“You should eat something before you go to bed,” Betty replied. “The power’s out but I can give you some fruit or something. Jughead found a place that sells American snacks, I’m sure he’d spare some chips or Fruit Loops.”

“I’m fine, really. I ate on the plane.”

Betty sipped her wine. “Could I ask what you’re trying to accomplish by running away from Archie? Especially since he doesn’t know about the possible Lodge-Andrews baby?”

“I ran away before _he_ could,” Veronica explained. “What if he decided he didn’t want it? Or the responsibility? Our lifestyle doesn’t exactly have room for a child. What if he was okay with it but then it turned out that he really wasn’t?”

“Why didn’t you give him the opportunity to prove himself?” Betty asked. “I’ve known Archie my whole entire life and I know that he’ll take responsibility for his actions, V.”

“I ran for a second reason,” Veronica admitted, lowering her voice so Jughead wouldn’t hear her. “I wanted to see if Archie would follow me.”

“I know Archie and I’m sure he’s already booking flights and trying to get here right this very second,” Jughead said as he came into the kitchen and poured a glass of seltzer water for himself. “You’ll see everything will work out. Trust me, when you love somebody you’ll follow them anywhere. Even to the ends of the earth.”

“But I do think you need to take a pregnancy test,” Betty added, ignoring Jughead’s last statement even though her heart skipped a beat. “So you can tell him when he _does_ show up and you need to be ready to have a serious talk about the future too. If you want to get married and have kids. About what you’re going to do next. Lay it all out for him, tell him what you want.”

Veronica sighed. “I never thought about it before. I know that I want Archie in my life. When I picture myself in thirty years, I see him with me.  I can’t imagine life without him but other than that, I don’t know. . . I guess I want whatever keeping Archie with me entails. Even if it requires sacrifices.”

Betty reached across the counter and squeezed her hand. “Then tell him.”

Veronica nodded. “Okay. Now really, do you mind if I go and get ready for bed?”

“Go on,” Betty answered. “I’ll be there in a few minutes.”

When Veronica was out of earshot, Jughead looked at her seriously. “Listen, Betts about earlier. . . I didn’t mean to get carried away like that, it’s a good thing Ronnie interrupted us when she did.”

“I kissed you first,” Betty reminded him, feeling her heart sink. “It wasn’t like I was saying _no_.”

“No,” Jughead agreed, releasing a deep breath.

“Hey B, do you mind if I bathe?” Veronica interrupted, poking her head through the doorway.

“Of course not! Enzio just fixed the pipes, so everything should be working the way it’s supposed to. Hold on, I’ll come and show you how to run a bath,” Betty replied, glancing at Jughead. “I have to go and take care of Ronnie. Maybe we can talk about it later?”

Jughead nodded slowly even though they both knew it probably wouldn’t come up again. Not with all the drama that had started to unfold with Veronica’s arrival.

But Betty couldn’t help and hope that there would be a someday when they could talk about it and she’d be able to take her own advice and lay it all out bare for him.

**.**

**The Diary – September 22 nd **

**Veronica Lodge had descended on Sogni D’Oro. How long she’s going to stay will be determined by Archie’s reaction to the reason she’s sought sanctuary with me in the first place. I don’t think she has anything to worry about though, Archie loves her. I am certain that he’ll be here before the week is out and there will be a happy ending for them.**

**I’m not sure the same thing can be said for me and Jughead. We almost made love this afternoon but we were interrupted by the arrival of Veronica. Afterwards, we tried to talk about it and I honestly think he regrets it almost happened even though he didn’t come right out and say it in so many words.**

**I know I still haven’t told him how I feel. I still haven’t asked him to stay. Sex without love doesn’t work for Jughead. Of course it doesn’t work for me either but I _know_ how I feel. I’m not sure how _he_ feels. He DID say something about following the person you love wherever they went. Even if it was to the ends of the earth. **

**Am I reading too much into the fact that he followed me to Italy? Am I putting a hidden meaning somewhere I shouldn’t?**

**I wish I had the answers.**

**TBC. . .**

**.**

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> There are two, maybe three more chapters left. I hope I didn’t upset anybody too much with this chapter! Veronica coming to Italy with a pregnancy scare and interrupting them has been in the outline since the beginning. ANYWAYS. I’m posting a day early because it’s Friday night and I don’t have anything to do. I hope you’ll tell me what you thought, I’ll be back next week with the next chapter. It’s already been written.
> 
> Until Next Time!


	9. Chapter 9

**.**

**Chapter 9**

“Do you think he’ll show up?” Veronica asked, checking her phone again for the umpteenth time that morning. “I don’t think he’s going to show up.”

“You did just leave,” Jughead reminded her, coming to the kitchen and pulling his sweatshirt over his head. “Give him some time to catch up with you, for crying out loud!”

Betty blushed when she saw him. “Good morning, Jughead.”

“Hey Betts,” Jughead replied, smiling at her.

Veronica frowned and took a sip of her orange juice, raising a perfectly arched eyebrow. “Did I interrupt something here?”

Betty shook her head. “What? No! You didn’t interrupt anything!”

“Don’t look at your phone again!” Jughead told Veronica.

“How about we go shopping today?” Betty suggested. “Do you think that’ll get your mind off it?”

Veronica sighed. “Maybe just a little bit. But what if Archie shows up while we’re gone?”

“I’ll stick around and move around a few periods before I send my final edit to my agent,” Jughead volunteered. “And if I get finished with that sooner than I expected, I’ll go and organize the DVD collection alphabetically like you’ve wanted to do.”

“Okay,” Betty agreed. “Thank you Juggie!”

“I have to do something with my hair and face before I go anywhere,” Veronica said. “I must look like a nightmare.”

“Aren’t you forgetting something else?” Betty asked.

“Excuse me?”

“The pregnancy test,” Jughead clarified. “Don’t you want to know if you’re pregnant or not?”

Veronica paled even more. “Not really, no. I don’t have the strength to face a positive result right now.”

“That’s not very characteristic of you,” Betty said, leaning against the counter and looking at her best friend seriously.

“If it’s positive and I’m pregnant, it’ll make it real!” Veronica explained. “If I’m _not_ pregnant, it’ll make me a fool for running away! Besides, I kind of want Archie to be here when I take the test. I can’t do it without him.”

Jughead and Betty exchanged looks.

“Well, I’m almost one hundred percent certain that Archie is on his way,” Jughead told her.

Veronica shot him an icy look. “How do you know _that_? Did you text him and tell him to come? Because if you did, I swear I’m going to cause you serious physical pain Forsythe Pendleton Jones!”

“Ugh, Betty why did you _ever_ tell her what my Christian name is?” Jughead asked groaning. I haven’t been in touch with him since last week, Veronica. He definitely didn’t hear it from me.”

“I didn’t tell him either!” Betty assured her. “I couldn’t sleep, so I was working on the library last night.”

“You left him a note, he doesn’t need any help from us.”

“What I meant is that I hope neither of you told him I might be having his child,” Veronica replied, glaring at them. “I want him to come and get me because he wants to. Not because he feels obligated.”

“So we’ve been told,” Jughead answered. “Listen, it’s all going to work out in the end. You’ll see.”

“Now go and fix your face and we’ll do some shopping!” Betty said.

Veronica brightened slightly. “I do love Italian boutiques! I’ll be right back.”

“You should make sure she eats something,” Jughead told Betty. “For her sake and the sake of her possible unborn child.”

“I will,” Betty promised. “Listen, about last night. . . maybe we could have that conversation when I get home?”

“We should,” Jughead agreed.

**.**

“So, what’s going on with you and Jughead?” Veronica asked as they browsed leather miniskirts.

“Nothing,” Betty answered. “Nothing and everything all at the same time. We kissed yesterday and if you hadn’t showed up when you did, we might have done something more.”

“Something more?” Veronica repeated.

“Everything more,” Betty clarified.

“Oh, I see! Well, I always did have impeccable timing.” Veronica smirked.

“Or un-impeccable timing, depending on the way you look at it,” Betty replied.

“Maybe,” Veronica agreed. “If I’m pregnant, It’s going to be a while before I can wear a miniskirt, isn’t it?”

“If anyone can wear a miniskirt during pregnancy, it’s you Veronica.”

“I’m going to try it on!” Veronica announced, taking one in her size and disappearing into a heavily curtained dressing room. “You should too!”

“You seem like you’re in better spirits,” Betty commented as she flipped through plaid skirts.

“Shopping will do that to a girl!” Veronica answered, pushing the curtain back and stepping out and twirling around. “Well, what do you think?”

“You look amazing as always,” Betty replied.

Veronica beamed. “Thank you. I’m going to buy it and a fabulous pair of heels too. It’ll give me courage to face Archie when he arrives.”

Betty smiled. “Everything’s going to be okay, Ronnie.”

“Even if I _am_ pregnant?” Veronica asked. “I’m afraid everything will change.”

“For better or worse, everything does change eventually,” Betty told her. “Even if you don’t want it to, you wake up one morning and your whole entire life is different. Sometimes it changes a couple of times in the course of a few years.”

“Don’t get me wrong, I _do_ want kids! I even want them with Archie but we haven’t talked about it. We haven’t even talked about getting married,” Veronica explained. “I just. . . I don’t want to push him into anything he doesn’t want. You know?”

Betty sighed and abandoned her search for a miniskirt. “Yes I do. Even more than you think, V.”

“Jughead?” Veronica guessed. “Don’t pretend it isn’t the case! I might be wrapped up in what I’m going through right now but I’ve still been able to tell that there’s something going on with you. Kev mentioned that you’re still in love with Jughead.”

“I am,” Betty admitted. “I am and I don’t know how to tell him. I want him to stay here with me or to come back when he’s done doing everything he needs to do for his second book. But like you with Archie, I don’t want to push him into anything he isn’t ready for. . . into something he doesn’t want.”

“How do you know if you don’t ask?”

Betty rolled her eyes and shook her head. “Hello kettle.”

“We’ve always made a fine pair,” Veronica replied. “Come on, let’s go and purchase something completely fantastic and expensive. Even if we can’t have the guys we want right now, there’s always retail therapy.”

**.**

They got back to the villa just in time for dinner. Jughead was cooking pasta in the kitchen and wearing one of Betty’s many apron. He smiled when he saw them come in, laden with shopping bags from most of Italy’s best designers.

“I see you’ve been supporting local commerce,” he commented.

“The only other places to do this kind of shopping are in Paris and New York City,” Veronica answered.

“There’s a surprise for you in the living room,” Jughead told her.

“You mean. . .” Veronica’s eyes lit up and she dropped her bags on the floor. “How did he get here so fast? I didn’t think he would get here until the end of the week, at least—”

“Well, he booked a ticket and followed you as soon as he got your note,” Jughead said. “But when he tells you, pretend you heard it for the first time and not from me.”

Veronica nodded and flipped her hair over her shoulder. “How do I look? Do I have time to reapply my lipstick before I go and see him? Do I have time to change?”

“You’d better just go _now_ and not keep him waiting!” Betty replied, giving her a gentle push. “Go on, he came all this way to see you just like you wanted.”

Veronica took a deep breath and nodded. “Okay. Here goes nothing.”

“I made spaghetti and sauce,” Jughead said when they were alone, he stirred the pasta. “Should we eat now or wait until Veronica and Archie are done talking?”

“We can eat now,” Betty answered. “They might be a while. I was actually hoping we could have a conversation of our own.”

Jughead poured a glass of wine for her. “Oh, we do need to talk, don’t we?”

“Last night _did_ happen,” Betty reminded him.

“I know. I was there.”

There was a long pause, Betty took a sip of wine and studied him over the rim of her glass before shrugging. “Maybe we should chalk it up to being in foreign countries. People do stupid things when they’re in foreign countries, don’t they?”

“Sure,” Jughead agreed. “They buy things they can’t afford or eat the funky seafood or go to parties they shouldn’t. Maybe if they’re in Vegas, they’ll get married to somebody they don’t know. But I’m not sure everybody almost hooks up with their exes.”

“I hate that term,” Betty said. “ _Hooking up_. It’s so. . . it makes the whole thing sound cheap.”

 

“Nothing with you has ever been _cheap_ ,” Jughead promised.

“You’re leaving,” Betty whispered, looking down at the counter.

“I know.”

“I’m staying here,” Betty continued. “I’m going to stay here and make a life for myself. I think I can make a go of it.”

“I do too,” Jughead told her. “I only have faith in you.”

“My point is, you’re going to be an ocean away and I don’t want to tie you down. So, let’s keep last night in last night.”

“You said that the last time you ended things with me. You didn’t want to tie me down,” Jughead said, turning the stove off. He removed the pot of water, drained the water and turned to look at her. “But here’s the thing, I always wanted to be tied down by you from the first moment I laid my eyes on you. Even after I saw the wreck that was my dad and mom’s marriage, I wanted that kind of life with you.”

A tear slid down Betty’s eyes and landed in her wine, she pushed the glass away. “Juggie—”

“If you don’t want me, I’m going to return the favor you did me all those years ago and let you go.” Jughead put the pot down and took a step towards her. “But I want you to ask me to stay. I’m only going to stay if you ask me to—”

“Juggie—” Betty tried again as he framed her face with his hands and looked at her earnestly.

“We’re getting married!” Veronica announced as she and Archie burst into the kitchen, smiling and laughing.

“It isn’t because she might be pregnant either!” Archie assured them. “I’ve wanted to marry her for a while now. I never suspected we wanted the same things. It’s time to grow up though and plan for a future.”

Jughead’s hands dropped to his sides and he cleared his throat. “That is great news you guys!”

“I’m so happy for you,” Betty added hastily. “This calls for a celebration. There’s a bottle of champagne that I’ve been saving for when we’re finally finished with the renovations here but I think we should open it right now! Jughead, why don’t you go and put some music on?”

“Did we interrupt something?” Archie asked, frowning. “You guys looked like you were having a serious conversation when we came in.”

Jughead shook his head. “No. You didn’t interrupt anything. We were just finishing things up. Right Betts?”

Betty hesitated, it felt like a _speak now or forever hold your peace_ situation. On the other hand, she didn’t want anything to overshadow Veronica’s happiness.

“Yes. We’re done. . . for now,” she answered tactfully, hoping Jughead would get her subtle message. “Come on, let’s talk about you guys now. Were you thinking a June wedding at the Plaza?”

**.**

**The Diary - October 23 rd **

**Archie followed Veronica here almost immediately. So, now it is the four of us just like it used to be. Whether there’s going to be a Lodge-Andrews baby is still to be determined though. She’ll take the test first thing tomorrow morning. No matter what the results are, they will get married and become a real family.**

**Time to become a grown up, Archie says.**

**Jughead and I talked tonight. He said something to the effect that it’s always been me since we first met and that despite his mom and dad’s marriage, he’s always wanted _it_ with me. He said he’d let me go if that is what I really wanted but he really wants me to ask him to stay. I didn’t get a chance to answer him because Archie and Ronnie interrupted us.**

**I still am unsure of how to form the words even though I know how he feels now. Maybe I just need one.**

**Stay.**

**TBC. . .**

**.**

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Still with me? Will you leave if I admit that I cried a little bit while I wrote this? But then I am an emotional wreck between this story, starting Grey’s Anatomy, Chicago Fire, This Is Us, and Blue Bloods. I hope you will tell me what you think. I am almost done, I promise the payoff will be rewarding. I am excited to get to the end, not because it will be the end of the journey but because. . . well, I’ll just wait until we get there. I will probably do an everyday update of “Jughead & Betty’s Epic Detour” because I have almost all of that written. Then I guess we’ll have some one-shots and a sneak peek of my next multi-chapter before December.
> 
> Until Next Time!


	10. Chapter 10

**.**

**Chapter 10**

“I’m too afraid to look,” Veronica said.

“You are one of the strongest women I know,” Betty told her. “Just look at the test! Okay?”

“You do it.”

Betty got up from the edge of the claw-foot tub and walked out of the bathroom. “I’m going to make some coffee, Jughead will be awake soon.”

“What? It’s not like you’re his wife!” Veronica called after her. “He can make his own coffee!”

“After _this_ conversation, I need it too!” Betty replied.

“But we barely had a conversation,” Veronica answered. “Come on, I need your support!”

“And you have it, I’m sending it from the kitchen! Now see if you’re pregnant or not. It’ll be a relief when you do regardless of the results. The not knowing is the worst part.”

Veronica sighed loudly enough for Betty to hear her as she closed the door behind her.

**.**

Archie was in the kitchen leaning against the counter and scrolling through texts on his phone when she came in.

“Is she okay?” he asked.

“She’s trying to work up the courage to look at the test,” Betty said.

Archie sighed. “Maybe I should go and check on her.”

Betty nodded. “I’m going to start to cook now, it should be ready by the time you come back out. Jughead likes a good American breakfast, so I have bacon and eggs and a bunch of other stuff.”

“I doubt Veronica will be eating much after all the excitement this morning,” Archie replied.

Betty reached for the French press that Isabelle had given her and nodded. “True,” she agreed.

“Jughead on other hand, has eaten right after throwing up from food poisoning,” Archie said. “And I’m kind of hungry myself, so don’t feel like you have to accommodate Ronnie.”

Betty smiled at him. “Go check on your girlfriend, go!”

“She’s my fiancée,” Archie reminded her.

Betty chucked a tea towel at him and shook her head as he disappeared.

She put a pot of water on the stove to boil and started to whip up a batch of waffles. Jughead still wasn’t really talking to her but she was hoping making all his favorites would be a peace offering of sorts until they got a chance to have a real conversation. She was pretty sure that she knew what she was going to stay to him, aside from _I want you to stay_.

They had always had a mature relationship where they were able to discuss things with each other. This was just a fluke, her not being able to say what she wanted to say to him was not the norm. She still couldn’t figure out what was wrong with her. Especially since the possibility of rejection was behind her. He’d spoken first.

It was all so simple.

She was the one over complicating things.

Betty sighed and poured the hot water over the coffee grounds and then set the timer on her iPhone. A few seconds later, there were shrieks that sounded like joy.

An elated Veronica barreled into the kitchen with Archie close behind her.

“I’m not pregnant!” She said, looking completely relieved. “Not that children won’t ever be in the picture, it’s just that we can do things the _right_ way! Daddy won’t kill you now, Archie.”

Archie laughed a little bit. “Wait. He was going to kill me?”

“There’s a lot of commotion going on out here,” Jughead said, rubbing his eyes. “What’s going on? I’m assuming it isn’t bad news.”

“We’re baby free!” Veronica answered. “It’ll be a while before you and Betty have to fill in as godparents. On that note, we will be going to Milan this afternoon like we promised. You both better make sure you’re available. You’ll both have a lot of duties to fulfil as our maid of honor and best man.”

“You want us to drop everything to go to Milan with you?” Betty asked.

“No,” Veronica replied. “I mean when we really start to plan the wedding. Now, do you have any champagne lying around here, B? I feel the need to celebrate properly!”

**.**

When Veronica and Archie had left, Jughead went back to his bedroom without saying a word to Betty. She cleaned the kitchen and told herself that she probably should just follow him and talk to him. A little while later, he reappeared.

“I’m going back to New York,” he told her. “My agent booked me a red-eye for tonight.”

“Oh. . .” Betty trailed off.

“I’m not doing it on purpose because I haven’t gotten the answer from you that I wanted or anything!” Jughead added hastily. “They just need me back in New York sooner than we expected.”

Betty finally found her voice. “If you wanted to come back. . . if you really wanted to come back after you’re done with all your official business, I’d be waiting for your return. The only reason I wouldn’t ask you to _stay_ is because I know you have a contract and other obligations in New York. But I want you to. I want you to stay.”

Jughead took her hands and looked at her earnestly. “I would stay if I could, you know.”

“I know. I _know_ ,” Betty assured him, freeing one of her hands to touch his face. “Go on and come back as soon as you can. Okay?”

“I will,” Jughead promised, leaning in and giving her a chaste kiss. “I miss you already.”

Betty sighed and leaned her forehead against his, feeling like a tremendous weight had been lifted off her shoulders. “I’ll miss you too,” she answered. “But we won’t be apart forever, you’ll be back. I’ll be waiting for you.”

Jughead nodded and let her go. “I have to leave now. Luca’s on his way to bring me to the airport.”

“Okay,” Betty said, nodding. “It feels like you just got here, I can’t believe you have to go already.”

“I’m going to call you every single day and we can Facetime,” Jughead told her. “That way, it’ll feel like we’re not even apart. We’ve been apart for so long, a few weeks won’t hurt in the grand scheme of things. Once I get back, I don’t plan to ever let you go.”

“You can’t stop writing,” Betty told him. “It’s a non-negotiable.”

“I won’t,” Jughead said. “When this little project is more successful than you ever imagined, we’ll hire somebody who’s just as good as you to run the place then you can come with me if I ever have to go away for extended periods of time. I’m ready to share my life with you Elizabeth Cooper.”

“I’m ready to share my life with you Jughead Jones,” Betty replied, standing on tip-toe to give him a kiss. She paused and looked at him. “I love you.”

**.**

“So, you have told him,” Isabelle said later that afternoon as they shared cappuccinos and cannoli. “I can tell you look a lot more relaxed than you have since I met you. You look happy and peaceful and all the things a woman in love should look like.”

Betty nodded and set her mug down in its saucer. “I did. It took me a while though and he had to say it first but I told him. He’s coming back . . . he’s coming back to stay with me.”

“I am so very happy for you Elizabetta!” Isabella reached over to squeeze the other girl’s hand. “I am so very proud of you. You have taken so many chances this year and you have changed so much. You are absolutely glowing! I wish you many more successes and more happiness than you will ever know what to do with.”

“More happiness?” Betty replied. “I don’t know what I’m going to do with the happiness I am experiencing now. I think I’m going to explode all over the place, I’m beside myself with it.”

Isabella beamed. “Is it not the best feeling in the world?”

“Yes,” Betty agreed, her face splitting into a wide smile. “Yes it is.”

**.**

**The Diary - October 24th**

**For the first time since I’ve moved to Italy, I am alone. Enzio and his crew finished work on the house this afternoon. I told them to come back whenever they wanted for an American breakfast or just a good plate of pasta. I will miss their company, I’ll miss restoring _Sweet Dreams_. Although, I have so many finishing touches to make. And Veronica wants me to dedicate a whole entire room just to her. This means redecorating it in her favorite jewel tones whenever I get the chance. **

**I guess the work really isn’t over. Even after it is, when the guests start trickling in, there will be movie nights to host and breakfasts to cook and cheese plates to make. I will always be busy and that’s fine with me. This is what I wanted anyways.**

**Veronica and Archie left for Milan this morning. She is not having a baby quite yet, although she says children are still a distinct possibility in the future. After they get married. She just wants to do things the right way. I know when they do have kids, they’ll be the well-cared for, well-dressed children in the whole entire world. I think she’ll make a good mother that she would have if she had been pregnant. I am sure I’ll see them again, Jughead and I will be their maid of honor and best man.**

**Jughead left today as well. He has things to do in New York City. But he is coming back. I had a moment of insane courage and I told him to return to me. I told him that I wished I could ask him to stay but I knew he had obligations to uphold and I wouldn’t get in the way of that.**

**The important thing is he’ll be back. I won’t have to spend the rest of my life without him like I thought I would. We’re planning for a life TOGETHER! I am beside myself, I am in love and I am anxiously counting down the days until he returns. Could life get any better than this? I don’t think so.**

**But then life has had a way of surprising me these last few months. So, I am starting to always expect the unexpected.**

**I cannot wait to see what happens next.**

**TBC. . .**

**.**

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> One more chapter to go and then I am done with this story. I’d like to apologize for the lateness of this. I have a bunch of stuff going on right now, including maid of honor duties. I would have finished this chapter yesterday afternoon while I was doing laundry or something but I was with my best friend looking for her wedding dress. On top of that, I woke up with acid reflux at three in the morning yesterday and ended my day with a migraine where I couldn’t even see straight. Not that you need the litany of what’s going on in my life. As always, I’m looking forward to hearing your thoughts on this chapter. If you have the time, feel free to tell me!
> 
> Until Next Time!


	11. Chapter 11

**.**

**Chapter 11**

_One month later. . ._

Betty felt like she had been waiting forever for Jughead to come back to Italy. They had talked and Facetimed each other every single day but she knew, _nothing_ was going to compare to having him home with her.

Home. . .

She blushed to herself as she arranged the last of batch of chocolate chip cookies on a large plate. It was the first time she allowed herself to think about it like _that_. Jughead had said it first a couple days ago. . . it had been an accident and they hadn’t talked about it afterwards. But she’d been ecstatic about it.

It felt like he was going to stay forever.

She glanced at the clock and untied her apron, she had just enough time to change out of her jeans and into something else before Jughead arrived. She hurried to her room and shimmied into the black turtleneck dress that Isabelle insisted she purchase and black tights. She was zipping up when there was a knock on her bedroom door.

She opened the door and Jughead was standing in the threshold, looking exhausted but happy to see her. She threw her arms around him and buried her face in his chest.

“You’re here,” she said. “You’re really here!”

Jughead held onto her tightly. “I dreamed about this day every night while we were gone.”

“Me too,” Betty whispered, she leaned backwards to look at him. “So, did they like the book?”

“They liked _both_ books,” Jughead answered.

“Both books?” Betty repeated. “Jughead, what are you talking about? I only thought there was the one—”

“I wrote something else while I was here,” Jughead told her. “Something they’re really interested in buying. But I told them that I needed to talk to you first.”

“Talk to me first? But why?”

“Because. . . well, I think I have to show you first,” Jughead replied, he released her and put his leather messenger bag down on the floor. He pulled a book out of it and handed it to her.

Betty flipped it over. _“The Sweet Dreams Villa.”_

“It’s about you,” Jughead explained, standing up.

Betty opened the book and flipped to the first page. She read the dedication aloud, “To E.C, my forever muse. Thank you for the happy ending.”

“It’s up to you,” Jughead said. “If you give me the okay, then they’re going to go ahead and publish it instead of the Natalee Holloway one. If you don’t. . . well, my contract will be fulfilled either way.”

Betty stared at him. “You wrote this about me?”

Jughead nodded. “I came here to write that other novel but when I got here, I couldn’t get you out of my head. Every time I sat down at my laptop, the words just poured out. Before I knew it, I had this. Nancy. . . my agent, she loved it. I sent her portions of it every so often and she couldn’t get enough of it. She thinks it’s better than anything Nicholas Sparks has ever written. When I met with her while I was in New York, I could practically see the dollar signs in her eyes.”

“I am going to say yes,” Betty replied. “Yes, they can publish it because I know it’s going to be excellent. But I was wondering if I could read it first. . . before you let them know what my decision is.”

Jughead nodded. “Of course! We have an agreement, they won’t do anything until I tell them to. What I say goes right now and they understand that.”

Betty leaned in and kissed him. “But no more talk shop for now, we can discuss it later. Right now I just want to take this moment in.”

“Taking in moments. Are you Anne Shirley now?” Jughead teased.

“Maybe just a little,” Betty answered, beaming at him, sighing. “I am so happy you’re here right now. Are you hungry? I made dinner.”

“Betty, is that even a question? Of course I’m hungry!” Jughead replied. “What are we having to eat?”

“A celebration dinner, roast chickens and fingerling potatoes with peas and a garden salad,” Betty told him as she caught his hand in her’s.

“Do you mind if I get cleaned up a little before we eat? I feel a little dirty from the plane ride,” Jughead said.

“Of course! Go right ahead, there’s still going to be a little while before it’s ready!” Betty replied. “Make yourself _right_ at home! Where’s your stuff? I’ll go and get it for you.”

“I left it in the hallway,” Jughead answered. “I couldn’t wait to see you.”

Betty kissed him again. “Wait here!”

She returned a few seconds later with all his suitcases.

Jughead took them from her. “Thank you!”

“You know until we can hire some decent help around here, you’ll probably have to carry a lot of luggage to people’s bedrooms,” Betty told him. “If you’re going to be staying here then you’re going to have to pull your weight and help me out.”

“I was already planning on it,” Jughead promised.

“There’s another condition,” Betty added.

“Another one?” Jughead put his arms around her again and sighed. “Okay, what is it?”

“Well, it’s not really a condition. It’s more of. . . well, you only have to do it if you want to. . .”

“What?” Jughead asked when she hesitated. “What is it?”

“I was wondering. . . sincewe’dbelivingtogether, ifyouwantedto sharearoomwithme!” Betty said in one breath.

Jughead laughed. “What? What did you say, Betts?”

Betty huffed. “Ugh, you’d think I’d be better at this. I’m a grown woman.”

“I think it’s cute!” Jughead assured her, tucking her hair behind her ear. “Now, what was it that you wanted to ask me?”

“Just if you wanted to share a room with me,” Betty finally said. “My room with me. If you’re not ready for it—”

Jughead laughed again and shut her up with a kiss. “Betty, I’d love to share a room with you. I just assumed we were going to.”

“Well, you shouldn’t assume things. . .” Betty said shyly, ducking out of his arms. “Go on and get cleaned up. I’m going to wait in the kitchen for you. There’s chocolate chip cookies and salted caramel gelato for dessert.”

**.**

Betty hummed to herself as she went back into the kitchen and checked on her dinner. The chicken skin was golden brown and the potatoes were almost cooked to crisp perfection. She’d give it a few more minutes before taking it out.

She got the bottle of wine from the fridge and brought it out to the dining room. She lit the candles, she wanted everything to be perfect for his first night back. She dimmed the lights, flipped the music on and smiled, standing back to admire her work.

“Is dinner ready?” Jughead called. “I’m starving!”

“Just about!” Betty called back, she smiled at him when he joined her. He was dressed in a navy blue sweater and khakis. “You didn’t have to dress up, you know. Not after you had such a long day and everything.”

“Yeah but you look so nice,” Jughead replied. “I thought I should return the favor.”

“Thank you,” Betty whispered.

“It’s just a sweater and pants,” Jughead answered.

“No. Thank you for _everything_ ,” Betty replied. “For telling me that you love me, for writing the book about me. For coming here in the first place. . . for coming back. I had imagined a life for myself without you in it and now, now I don’t even want to know what that life looks like anymore.”

Jughead wrapped his arms around her from behind and rested his chin on the top of her head. “Me either,” he agreed. “Me either. From now on, let’s just picture what our life together will look like.”

**.**

**The Diary - November 22nd**

**“I am completely and incandescently happy.”**

**.**

**The End**

**.**

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I rewrote this ending a bunch of times, nothing felt right to me. Not even this particular version. BUT I wanted to give you guys a reunion and I might have some codas in me. Depending on what I’m doing with my other stories. I want to thank everyone for their continued support of this story. It means so much to me! You’ll never even know how much it means.

**Author's Note:**

> This, like most first chapters in anything I write, was just build up to the story to come. I am really looking forward to sharing this one with you. I promise you Jughead will show up sooner than later. This is a romance after all, in the meantime, I hope you will leave me a review and tell me your thoughts. Or if this is Archive of Our Own, just press the kudos button. I am not choosy. 
> 
> Until Next Time!


End file.
